Saturday, September 4, 2010

Black Holes and Time Loops

I've known for some time now of the effects a black hole can have in time travel. A very fundamental role in Physics is the more massive an object, the slower time goes. So, if you were able to travel to the center of the galaxy to the Super Massive Black Hole and start flying your spaceship in a circle around it the time difference would be something like 50 Earth years go by for every 10 or yours. However, in Dr. Ronald L. Mallett's book, Time Traveler, He speaks of his continuing journey to find a way to travel back in time.

One way, that he has found is that because of gravitational waves given out by black holes time loops are created. (To know more about the affects of a time look watch the movie with Christopher Reed, Bid Time Return). So in theory, we could travel to any rapidly spinning black hole, get caught in this time loop, go back in time, and then fly out. Hmmmm.

6 comments:

Des said...

Didn't Frank Tipler and J. Richard Gott have similar theories? In fact I e-mailed Professor Mallett once, (something rare I find nowadays) and he confirmed to me that his work was based on that of Kurt Goddel.

Cap said...

Yeah, he took a lot of his theories in bending spacetime with a laser from those theories of the individuals you mentioned regarding black holes. The book is a wonderful read, not very long, and understandable.
Basically, Mallett's theory is that a laser-light moving in a constant loop can affect spacetime in the same way that a black hole would, therefore creating a closed time-like loop and making time travel into the past possible. (As far back and forward as the machine is left on).

Matsby said...

Dr Mallett is great! I've heard a lecture of his on a podcast, heard his story on This American Life, and read his website. I've been meaning to get his book forever but never get around to actually getting it. My wife was supposed to buy it for me a couple months ago, but accidentally bought me another copy of Time Traveler's Wife. Duh!

Robert Vollman said...

I'll read this for sure, Dr. Mallett is one of my favourites too.

I hope he's right that time travel is just about to be invented, and hopefully it's done in time for him to go back and save his father.

P.S. Your wife is trying to tell you something Matsby.

Anonymous said...

http://cheezfailbooking.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/83218d0c-fc64-4cae-9795-f3cb763e34ca.jpg

Anonymous said...

I think it's a close race of what happens next, time travel or invisibility. No joke. Google it, do a little research. There are some very interesting developments.