If particles can transcend the space-time continuum, why can’t we? What if intergalactic travel really could be possible?
This question has yet to be answered, but scientists have mathematically discovered or theoretically conjured a few methods that might actually place us on the right path. Before we can properly dive into them, we also have to take into consideration the principles of the famous Theory of Relativity, written by the mathematician and physicist that allowed this ideas to even be looked upon, Albert Einstein.
Waves of words, particles of discoveries
The 1st postulate of Special Relativity, specifies that the laws of physics are the same for every observer as long as acceleration doesn’t happen and speed is constant either in a state of rest or motion.
“If quantum mechanics would sneak its way into our perception, considering that particles can be anywhere anytime, we would see particles from multiple galaxies in the composition of a simple table and vice versa. “, my physics professor recently told us in class.
That is what is called particle entanglement, their unique property to be the objective narrators of the universe, omniscient and omnipresent. Their “superposition” property, would give us the ability, through quantum mechanics, to instantly communicate between far away worlds if we could control their actions. The physicist David Bohm laid the foundation of this in 1952, followed by David Deutsch, Arthur Eckert, and Peter Shor in late 20th century.
Communication would be an extraordinary breakthrough, as it would announce our existence to the other civilizations of the universe. We could expand our studies on extraterrestrial life or convince it, if advanced enough, to pay us a visit and show us the ropes of intergalactic travel.
Wiggling though the core
The 2nd postulate of Special Relativity explains that light speed is constant in the vacuum of space and no observer or position can change or surpass it.
One of the first people to invent a way of sneak past relativity was Albert Einstein himself, in collaboration with his colleague Nathan Rosen. Together, in a paper called “The particle problem in the general theory of relativity”, they introduced a hypothetical “bridge” between far away points in space, the Einstein-Rosen Bridge, or how it popularly goes by, the Wormhole.
Imagine that you have in front of you a piece of paper with two dots on it, at the opposite sides, A and B. If I told you that you can actually reach from A to B instantly without traveling the distance, would you believe me? No? Well, fold that piece of paper until the dots are on top of each other and, if you feel stabby, pierce a hole with your pen though them. As you can see, you’ve barely left A and you’re already where you wanted to “B”.
Our current reality has 4 dimensions: length, width, height and time. The wormhole can connect two distanced sides of space time though the help of higher dimensions. The paper you used was 2 dimensional and you had to add height to it to pierce though the “distance”. That is how it works.
The wormhole is the most known theory that could get us traveling though Hubble’s pictures, but as old as our dear scientists are in our history, they were still ahead of their time? Ironic, isn’t it? The math and the spirit are there, but we still have to further develop our technology and harvest the one thing essential to opening a wormhole, enormous amounts of exotic, dark matter. Let’s explore another way!
My space, my rules!
Many scientists have accepted light’s victory above all as fact, but that didn’t stop them from trying to find ways to “cheat the system” and surpass it without that cheeky relativity chiming in.
In this instance, it is essential to mention the Mexican physicist, who revolutionized the conceptual aspects of intergalactic travel in the late 20th century, Miguel Alcubierre. Besides his brilliant theories, he is a rarity in physics by simply being alive!
Into the paper "The warp drive: hyper-fast travel within general relativity”, he described the Alcubierre drive, a new method though which exceeding the speed of light would be possible without breaking the laws of relativity.
Who here has ever played with or even tried making their own slingshot as a kid? Okay, too many hands, put them down. You probably have noticed that the more you pull and release, the further and faster the pebble will propel forward.
That is how Alcubierre’s drive works. Exotic matter would envelop the ship while the space in front is contracted, pulling the slingshot, and the space behind is extended, releasing. If the steps are strong enough and done right, beating light at her own game might actually be feasible.
Yet again, as it is in human nature, we’re starving for fresh meat even before the calf is born. We seem to have it all and still it’s not enough. Our ideas torture us, hunger us, but they also keep us sane and working for our food.
The mysteries of black and white
(The formation of a black hole by two stars colliding- personal creation)
This instinctual desperation to reach fullness, so to speak, leads to an inevitable curiosity, getting “sucked” into the most dangerous and risky ideas, sparked from a spherical singularity, impermeable even to light, the black hole.
The black hole is at its essence the result of a star getting so old and so “obese” that it collapsed onto itself, its density also being massive. By comparison, it would be like a sesame seed that weights millions of tons.
In addition to what it is factually, in the present, its role in the universe has also taken a fictional turn. A black hole is like an unescapable vacuum for everything, even light, and that creates a juicy mystery factor to it, as nobody has ever seen what happens after something enters.
It is speculated that it is a gate, an already existing wormhole, wide open and tempting those who want to feast on different galaxies found on the other side.
Let’s ignore spaghetification all together, to turn a blind eye to the fact that a black hole’s gravity would elongate us to an almost 2 dimensional level at then disintegrate us. That’s a bit morbid to think about. Russian astrophysicist Igor Novikov introduced in 1964, the concept of an yang for our yin, one that makes it seem less bitter and lonely, the white hole.
The white hole would represent the universal expeller, to which no one can get close to, an exit towards the other galaxies, making the black hole less scary, a simple entrance. These yang’s are purely theoretical, but if they existed, we would have path to follow in our research that is exotic matter-free.
Even if some options fail, humans will always create alternatives as the passion to discover and explore is ingrained deep inside us. Perhaps, intergalactic travel won’t be possible in our lifetime or even our children’s, but we are the foundation as those before are for us. We are but worms in a mission to eat though the most complex apple in reality and until we get out we will never know what lies beyond? Will we find nothing, similar apples or other completely different fruits? That is a subject for another article.
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