Scientist Igor Smolyaninov used metamaterial to make a desktop big bang that proved time travel is not possible. Okay there is a lot to chew on there so lets break it down, Metamaterial is materials that can be engineered to steer light in a specific way, this allows us to make the flow of light closest to that of space(which is necessary for the big bang…as there was nothing but space). A desk top big bang is when you replicate a black hole to create an imitation multi-verse within the metamaterial whilst keeping space-like dimensions in a time-like order. Time travel is like when you eat a breakfast muffin and then magically whoosh yourself back to have waffles instead. Igor’s replication of the big bang has some hugely scientific shit behind it, things so out of my realm that I felt I was too stupid to copy and paste it here, so If you’re interested in some real technical jargon read it HERE. Now according to this new research time travel seems to be out of the question since light wont circle back to the starting point:

He considers this by imagining a cylindrical metamaterial in which the z-dimension and radial dimension are space-like and the angular distance around the cylinder is time-like. Can closed time-like curves exist in this system, he asks. “At first glance, this question is simple, and the answer should be “yes”,” he says.

But under closer examination the answer turns out to be different. He points out that while it is possible for light rays to follow circular paths that return to the point from where they started, these rays would not perceive the angular dimension as time-like.

By comparison, any ray that does perceive the angular dimension as time-like cannot actually return to the same point in space-time, (although it can travel a world line that is very close to a closed time-like curve). So time machines, even trivial ones like this, are impossible.

So yeah, if he is right there is no way Back to the Future-style time travelling is not possible, Fringe-style multi-dimensional travel on the other hand doesn’t seem to be out of the question. I just hope the other me’s are cooler than I am (ie: wont kill me to absorb my power like in that movie the One with Jet Li).
[popsci]

07 Apr This entry was written by CatastroFUCK and published on April 7, 2011 at 12:11 PM. It’s filed under Awesome and tagged fuck you science, I didn't understand a word of that, movies, my brain hurts, the future is now, ther can be only one!, time you will never get back. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.