The “wormhole” is an important element in Science Fiction films, a fast way to connect two spaces. The reality is that scientists have just theoretically proven the possibility of such a structure, but believe that it is impossible for ordinary matter to pass through, and that only some kind of negative energy matter can ensure that it is open.
A recent study finally proved theoretically that non-negative energy matter, too, can pass through such a microscopic wormhole.
The concepts of black holes and wormholes both emerged as early as 1961, after Einstein proposed the theory of relativity. Nowadays, scientists have detected the existence of black holes from a variety of methods and even taken pictures of them. However, for wormholes, scientists have just completed mathematical theoretical calculations to prove their possible existence and have not detected any such object. Moreover, the theoretical derivation of the idea of reaching the other side of the universe through a wormhole has hit a bottleneck and is considered unattainable for ordinary matter.
One of the main elements of Einstein’s theory of relativity mentions the possibility that an object as massive as a star could cause a bending of space-Time around it, similar to the reasoning that if a metal ball is placed on a rubber mat, the rubber mat will sink.
If space-time bends, this will have an impact on the objects in it, such as spacecraft and planets, and even light. The leader of this new study, Jose Luis Blázquez-Salcedo of the University of Oldenburg (Germany), said, “Theoretically, space-time could bend without massive objects.”
The case Salcedo mentions is one of the wormhole models that scientists have been considering more in recent years – like the look of a funnel with two thin ends joined together, with the thinnest connection in the middle.
Current theories suggest that such a wormhole is unstable. If a ship enters it, it instantly becomes a black hole, and this wormhole passage is immediately closed. Several previous theoretical models suggest that an object with negative mass, i.e., a substance with less mass than zero, is needed to keep the wormhole open. However, the existence of such matter itself is only theoretically speculated, and no signs of its existence have been detected.
In the study, published March 9 in Physical Review Letters, a team led by Salcedo proposes a new theoretical model to show that matter that is not of negative mass can pass through a wormhole.
The researchers used the Dirac equation, a theory that combines relativity and quantum mechanics, to argue that certain substances, such as electrons and the charges they carry, can pass through wormholes.
In their report, they say that certain substances can pass through a wormhole “if the ratio of charge to wormhole mass exceeds a specific limit,” such as electromagnetic waves and other such signals, which can pass through the tiny channel in the middle of the wormhole.
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