Space & Astronomy

Wormholes could serve as stable conduits through space after all

By T.K. Randall
November 16, 2021 ·  6 comments

Wormholes could be the key to long-distance space travel. Image Credit: CC BY-SA 4.0 Kjordand On the face of it, a wormhole might seem like a straight forward concept - link two black holes in different parts of the cosmos to create a tunnel through which a space traveler could pass.

In reality however, it's not quite that simple.

It's certainly an idea that has been around for a while - physicists Albert Einstein and Nathan Rosen took a very serious look at the concept in connection with Einstein's general theory of relativity, theorizing the existence of what is known as an "Einstein-Rosen bridge."

In recent years however, physicists have cast serious doubt on the possibility that such a structure could ever remain stable long enough for someone to actually travel through it.In all likelihood, they argue, a wormhole would collapse almost instantaneously.

While this would seem to be the final nail in the coffin for the idea of using wormholes for space travel, a new study has since contradicted these findings by suggesting that wormholes might actually be a lot more stable than previously believed.

The physics behind the mechanism through which this is theoretically possible are rather complicated, however it is all to do with what is known as the Eddington-Finkelstein metric and what happens to a particle once it crosses the event horizon of a black hole (one half of a theoretical wormhole.)

The new research, which was conducted by physicist Pascal Koiran from the Ecole Normale Superieure de Lyon in France, suggests that wormhole travel might in fact be possible.

If true, perhaps future generations will one day learn how to use them to explore the stars.

Source: Live Science | Comments (6)

Tags: Wormhole