Here’s a question that’s bugged me for all eternity–is time travel possible, even in theory? –Jan K., Baltimore, Maryland
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The possibilities of deductive reasoning thus having been pretty much exhausted, I consulted the Straight Dope Science Advisory Board. While the question is far from settled, a few optimists do think time travel may be possible. In fact, a widely noted paper was published last fall proposing a hypothetical time machine. The machine requires some pretty outrageous theoretical leaps, though, and the technology is totally beyond our present capabilities. So don’t start making plans to visit the Pleistocene era just yet.
That’s where we get to Great Leap #1. Thorne et al propose (rather cavalierly, in my opinion) that a black hole-less wormhole could simply be plucked from the “quantum foam.” The quantum foam is the micro-level of the universe beneath which things are so small we can’t observe them. Since we have no idea what’s going on down there, there’s no reason to think the usual laws of physics apply. So Thorne and friends say, hey, let’s assume that at quantum level, no-sweat wormholes exist. Fine, it’s a free country. But then they say, now let’s assume the holes can be enlarged to usable size. How? God knows. But theoretical physicists pride themselves in not getting hung up on two-bit details.
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): illustration/Slug Signorino.
