The professor spent his career investigating theories of black holes and general relativity.
After years of research, Ronald Mallett, Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of Connecticut, has claimed to have developed the equation for time travel, Earth.com reported. Notably, the astrophysicist’s obsession with time travel and its equation is rooted in his childhood. Mr Mallett was aged 10 when his father died suddenly, of a heart attack, an event that the scientist says changed the track of his life forever.
He then made it his life’s mission to see if time travel was possible. He found solace in reading – including H.G. Wells’ sci-fi classic ‘The Time Machine.’
“The book changed my life. It’s the first paragraph that changed my life. I still remember the quote ‘Scientific people know very well that Time is only a kind of Space. And why cannot we move in Time as we move about in the other dimensions of Space?” he said.
The professor then spent his career investigating Albert Einstein’s theories of black holes and general relativity. However, his moment of inspiration came while he was lying in hospital after suffering a heart condition. ”It turns out that black holes can create a gravitational field that could lead to the creation of time loops that could allow us to go back in time,” he explained.
His vision for a time machine centres on what he calls “an intense and continuous rotating beam of light” to manipulate gravity. His device would use a ring of lasers to mimic the spacetime-distorting effects of a black hole.
”Let’s say you have a cup of coffee in front of you right now. Start stirring the coffee with the spoon. It started swirling around, right? That’s what a rotating black hole does. In Einstein’s theory, space and time are related to each other. That’s why it’s called space-time. So when the black hole spins, it will cause time to shift,” he explained.
However, he said he would need “galactic amounts of energy” and didn’t know how big this “time machine” would have to be to make it work. He is also not sure when or if it will be done, but added: “I figured out how to do it. In theory, it is possible.”
Critics have said that his device would need to be vast, but Mr Mallett is optimistic that it could one day be achieved.
Dr. Sarah Adams is a scientist and science communicator who makes complex topics accessible to all. Her articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
