Traversable Wormholes

I'm sure that the topic of Schwarzschild wormholes or Einstein-Rosen bridges have been debated in the past but I would like to get a fresh perspective on where everyone stands concerning the topic.


Wormhole

In physics, a wormhole is a hypothetical topological feature of spacetime that is essentially a 'shortcut' through space and time. A wormhole has at least two mouths which are connected to a single throat. If the wormhole is traversable, matter can 'travel' from one mouth to the other by passing through the throat. While there is no observational evidence for wormholes, spacetimes containing wormholes are known to be valid solutions in general relativity.

The term wormhole was coined by the American theoretical physicist John Wheeler in 1957. However, according to Coleman and Korte, p.199 of 'Hermann Weyl's Raum - Zeit - Materie and a General Introduction to His Scientific Work', Hermann Weyl invented the idea of wormholes in 1921 in connection with his analysis of mass in terms of electromagnetic field energy.

This analysis forces one to consider situations..where there is a net flux of lines of force through what topologists would call a handle of the multiply-connected space and what physicists might perhaps be excused for more vividly terming a ‘wormhole’

– John Wheeler in Annals of Physics

Traversable Wormholes

Traversable wormholes would allow travel from one part of the universe to another part of that same universe very quickly or would allow travel from one universe to another. Wormholes connect two points in spacetime, which means that they would allow travel in time as well as in space. The possibility of traversable wormholes in general relativity was first demonstrated by Kip Thorne and his graduate student Mike Morris in a 1988 paper; for this reason, the type of traversable wormhole they proposed, held open by a spherical shell of exotic matter, is referred to as a Morris-Thorne wormhole. Later, other types of traversable wormholes were discovered as allowable solutions to the equations of general relativity, such as a type held open by cosmic strings which was put forward in a 1989 paper by Matt Visser.

"By journeying through a wormhole, you could travel between the two regions faster than a beam of light would be able to if it moved through normal space-time".

-Stephen Hawking

I'm especially interested in the concept of using such wormholes for space travel and exploration. I understand that the Idea is still in it's infancy and that most scientists would label it as impossible due to the theory that the size of the opening in the wormhole, as we understand it, is too small to allow the entry of spcaecraft or even humans and it's not staible enough to even allow one photon of light to pass through it before it would close.

In 1988 Michael Morris and Kip Thorne may have come up with a theory on how to stabalize a wormhole. They theorize that a region of negative-mass energy was needed in the wormholes "throat". This negative energy can be created by using the Casimir effect, which is basically a quantum effect in which long-wave length vacuum fluctuations are suppressed in a region between conducting surfaces. The problem that lies with this theory is that the consensus among physicists is that the use of negative energy to contruct a wormhole with normal matter is impossible.

I'd be interested in the views and opions from anyone concerning this debate on wormhole physics and if space/time travel could be accomplished.

WORMHOLE INDUCTION PROPULSION

TUNNELING THROUGH THE COSMIC NEIGHBORHOOD

First thing first, Empyrean Madness that was a great post, i really enjoyed reading it. But how can you travel in time when time is out creation. Time is ours, if we say 100 million years ago, that is our 100 million years, maybe at one point the sun took 25 or 22 hours to do a full rotaion, there for we would be off by a long way. I know we can travel billi-seconds into the futrure fomr that whole atomic clock test, but back in time ? i atin to sure to be honest. But i think that traveling form one far off point to another very fast through "subspace"* is very very likly, be good to see others in the omni/uni verse, maybe shut up the skeptics for once.


* "subspace" - Heard it once, i beleive it is the term to the space that you are traveling in whilst do that kind of travel. But im not too sure, if its wrong, sorry.

Take care every one, Vixion.

Thanks Vixion

I suppose that I should have broken the discussion down into 2 sections.

1. Is the concept of Wormholes theoreticly possible?

2. If the answer to #1 is correct than could this theory be used
in conjunction with time travel, both forward and backword?

The Atomic Clock Testwas conducted in 1971, but after 80 hours of flight time only 34 nanoseconds was achieved. Although this may represent a rather small step it definetly proves it is at least possible. The speed and energy required is absolutly unimaginable.

Empyrean madness, youve just shown every one what i said, yes admittedly 34 nanoseconds in 80 hours is, some what....poop. But it proves that it can be done, and that is all we needed to know, that it is possibly, as i said in my last post i dont think we can go back, but i relised i miss worded that, well not miss word more as forgot to say some thing else, i think time travel into the future is possible, but back in time, NO. unless it is back to the point were you went into the future, if you dont understand i dont blame you, i suck with words. Basicly if i went in the time machine and went to any date in 2008, lest say christmas, i could only return to 18th april 2007. Any ferther and the chance of ending up in the wrong time or place is massive.

I absolutly agree, I believe time travel in the future may theoreticly be possible but I'm not 100% convinced that travel in the past is.

Empyrean madness, youve just shown every one what i said, yes admittedly 34 nanoseconds in 80 hours is, some what....poop. But it proves that it can be done, and that is all we needed to know, that it is possibly

The reason I mentioned the test after your last post was so that people that are unaware of what the atomic time test was could see what actualy took place and the results found during the test

Ronald Mallett believes that anything containing energy could warp space-time, and as a result, he has designed a time machine that uses light, rather than mass.

His theoretical time machine consists of a ring of two intense beams of light, circling in opposite directions. By slowing down the light in an ultra-cold bath of atoms and increasing the intensity of the beams, space-time inside the ring would become warped. Eventually, space and time would become so distorted by the circling light that time would become a dimension similar to space - a dimension that you could move along! If you entered the ring and walked in the correct direction, you could walk back through time - maybe even passing yourself as you entered the ring.

I think time travel into the future is possible, but back in time, NO. unless it is back to the point were you went into the future

Once again good job Vixion, this brings up a good point worthy of debate. If time travel in the past is possibly can you only go back as far as the point when you first started time travel? That would definitely explain why no one has ever come into contact with any time travelers.

Any good links or comments from anyone in regards to this debate would be greatly appriciated

i think i saw a machine like that on "A town called Urika". im not mocking your post, its just thats what im thinking of, ill look into it cause im a bit busy at the moment, but just out of curiosity, but how fast would those circles be traverling, and would there be any way of navigation, cause it sounds like step through and hope your not in a t-rex's feeding ground, or on a new colony on the moon.

Take Care