《CarlSagansContactDepartamentodeMatemtica卡尔萨根的接触省matemTICA》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《CarlSagansContactDepartamentodeMatemtica卡尔萨根的接触省matemTICA（17页珍藏版）》请在金锄头文库上搜索。
1、Carl Sagans ContactHonors 368, Section 1Science in Science FictionOdis HickmanApril 3, 2001Wormholes: Sci-Fi Trapdoorsn nEinsteins general theory of relativityTime moves slower in spaceTime moves slower in spaceReversal is possibleReversal is possiblen nIs time travel possible?Theory of Wormholesn n
2、Matter is neither created nor destroyedn nObjects sucked into a rotating, electrically charged blackhole do not disappearn nOne theory is that they reappear elsewhere out of an exit point or whiteholen nThe tunnel that links a blackhole and whitehole is known as a wormholeWormholesn nPossibly create
3、d after the Big Bang, which began the Universe roughly thirteen billion years agon nThe wormhole provides a convenient and rapid way to travel great distancesWormholes cont.n nAccording to current theories, natural wormholes are too small for star traveln nWormholes are thought to be very unstable,
4、being subject to collapse due to internal and external influencesn nIt is thought that a technically advanced civilization could find the means of widening these wormholes and keeping them open, or even creating their ownWhiteholesn nAs universes have a beginning and end, so do wormholesn nWhitehole
5、s are the reverse of blackholesn nThe equations of general relativity have the interesting mathematical property of symmetry in timen nJust as a black hole can only suck things in, a white hole can only spit things outWhiteholes cont.n nYou can take any solution to the equations and imagine that tim
6、e flows backwards rather than forwards and you will get another valid solution to the equationsn nThese may exist in a different universe, region of space, or timen nIf not for the wormhole, it would be completely disconnected from the blackholes regionBlackholesn nA region of space that has so much
7、 mass concentrated in it that there is no way for a nearby object to escape its gravitational pulln nWe suspect that most of the black holes that exist are produced in the deaths of massive starsn nBlack holes are believed to weigh about as much as a massive star or ten times the mass of the sunBlac
8、kholes cont.n nThe interior of a charged or rotating black hole can join up with a corresponding white hole in such a way that you can fall into the black hole and pop out of the white holeBlackholes cont.n nAs you get closer and closer to the center of the hole, tidal gravitational forces begin to
9、take affectBlackholes cont.n nAs you get closer to the center, these tidal forces get more and more intense until eventually ripping you apartn nSagan originally wanted to use black holes as the aliens space transit system, but soon realized any travelers would be stretched and crushed into oblivion
10、, thus settling on artificial intergalactic wormholesKip Thornen nRelativity theorist and astrophysicistn nProfessor of Theoretical Physics at California Institue of Technologyn nHas researched in several areas including gravitational radiation, black holes, neutron stars and the nature of space, ti
11、me, and gravityKip Thorne cont.n nTheory that wormholes may act as time machinesAccording to quantum According to quantum mechanicsmechanics, if a , if a spacecraft is traveling at the speed of light in a spacecraft is traveling at the speed of light in a wormholewormhole, then time would be moving
12、, then time would be moving backward relative to other objectsbackward relative to other objectsKip Thorne cont.n nAdvised Carl Sagan on ContactSaganSagan wanted a plausible way in which the wanted a plausible way in which the characters would be able to zip around the characters would be able to zi
13、p around the galaxy atgalaxy at superlight superlight speeds without violating speeds without violating the laws of physics to a great extent the laws of physics to a great extent Examples of Wormholesn n2001: A Space OdysseyStanley Stanley Kubrick Kubrick was the first director to depict was the fi
14、rst director to depict his vision of time travel through a wormholehis vision of time travel through a wormholen nStar Trek: GenerationsUses a moving ribbon of Uses a moving ribbon of energyenergy, referred to as a , referred to as a NexusNexusHas the power to destroy ships and civilizations Has the
15、 power to destroy ships and civilizations and also transport people through time or a and also transport people through time or a fantasyfantasyExamples of Wormholes cont.n nDeep Space NineA wormhole connects the Alpha and Gamma A wormhole connects the Alpha and Gamma quadrants from opposite sides o
16、f the Milky Wayquadrants from opposite sides of the Milky Wayn nSlidersFeatured a portal that would transport its users Featured a portal that would transport its users to parallel universesto parallel universesn nTimecopWormholes permit the reversal of a murderWormholes permit the reversal of a mur
17、derRelated Sourcesn nCenter for Particle Astrophysics, an NSF Science and Technology Centerhttp:/http:/cfpacfpa. .berkeleyberkeley. .eduedu/home.html/home.htmln nBlack Holes and Beyondhttp:/www.http:/www.ncsancsa. .uiucuiuc. .eduedu/ /CyberiaCyberia/ /NumRelNumRel/ /BlackBlackHolesHoles.html.htmln nWormholes: Searching for a “Subway to the Stars”http:/www.http:/
