Brian Greene Explains The Science Behind Wormholes

The American theoretical physicist, Brian Greene explains the science behind wormholes. Wormholes are a popular feature of science fiction as they allow interstellar travel within human timescales. The problem with using wormholes to travel in space or time is that they are inherently unstable. To stabilize a wormhole you need materials that have negative energy density, at least in some reference frame. No classical matter can do this, but it is possible that quantum fluctuations in various fields might be able to.

Brian Greene also explains how two black holes can be attached to another via an Einstein Rosen Bridge or more famously known a wormhole. The idea is based on General Relativity, which predicts how space and time warp in various ways under certain conditions. According to that theory, there are discrete parts of the universe where space and time are independent of one another.

The impossibility of faster-than-light relative speed only applies locally. Wormholes might allow faster-than-light travel by ensuring that the speed of light is not exceeded locally at any time. While traveling through a wormhole, slower-than-light speeds are used. If two points are connected by a wormhole whose length is shorter than the distance between them outside the wormhole, the time taken to traverse it could be less than the time it would take a light beam to make the journey if it took a path through the space outside the wormhole. However, a light beam traveling through the same wormhole would beat the traveller.

Brian Greene admits that wormholes have not yet been proven to exist in the real world. Their existence is only inferred based on a mathematical framework.

Perhaps someday humans might be able to travel through a wormhole to visit other parts of the universe. Whether wormholes are really possible, or are just part of science fiction, remains to be seen. The only thing certain at this time is that scientists are still working hard to find out more about them.

#wormhole #bgreene #science

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Sources:"Renowned Physicist Brian Greene Draws Sold Out Crowd at College of DuPage 2018 37" by COD Newsroom is licensed under CC BY 2.0

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