Wormholes: Travelling through space and time.

Imagine being able to travel from Earth to Mars within the time span of a day. The distance of the Earth to Mars is 54.60 million kilometres. The distance between Earth and the Andromeda galaxy, which is the galaxy nearest to out milky way, is 2.537 million light years. The time taken to travel from the Earth to Mars is between 150 and 300 days while the time taken to travel between Earth and the Andromeda galaxy is 2.5 million light years. So, imagine taking only days, months or weeks to get to Mars or the Andromeda galaxy! Imagine also, being able to travel from one universe to another universe. According to Dr Michio Kaku, a theoretical physicist, it is possible to travel, theoretically, that it is possible for more than one parallel universe to exist. 

So, what would allow us to travel from one point in space to another in a relatively short span of time? The answer is a wormhole. A wormhole is a hole in the fabric of space and time. It is a theoretical construct, meaning that it is a theory constructed to test a hypothetical concept. Theoretical concepts exist to define a certain concept which exists only in theory and are not observable phenomenon and are used by scientists to study things that cannot be observed. Science studies things and defines them, that is it describes them as real, if they are in someway observable. This includes seeing them, measuring them, smelling them, or sensing them using various kinds of apparatus. A wormhole can be best explained by taking a sheet of blank paper and putting two dots opposite each other at each end of the paper. Imagine that is the distance from your planet to another planet and that is the distance. Now fold the paper so that the two points meet each other. Imagine that a black hole is between the two dots. The dots are now nearer to each other. So space travelers travelling between two world located over vast distances of space can now enjoy speedier travel between once distant worlds.

Wormholes are described by scientists as tunnel-like connections in the fabric of space and time. They originate in Albert Einstein's Theory of General Relativity. Wormholes unusual properties pique the interests of theoretical physicists who study their mathematical properties of time and space. Wormholes possess strange geometries. Their study can assist to further the boundaries of behaviour permitted in the Theory of General Relativity, meaning the types of behaviour or things that some phenomenon by theory is supposed to do , and possibly give insights into the effects of quantum gravity. 

What does a wormhole look like? What is its configuration? A wormhole is a tunnel like structure with a mouth as an entry point and another mouth as an exit point. These two points are connected by a 'throat", and by theory, permits a traveler into the wormhole to travel through to a distant point in space and time. Now the path through the wormhole will have several routes to the exit point. Scientists describe the different exit points as topologies. These distinct topologies give a traveler through the wormhole many different paths to exit the wormhole to his or her destination. It is like as if an ant that enters an anthill will have many different paths before it to travel through in order to reach its destination. However, I ask these questions;

Imagine being able to travel from Earth to Mars within the time span of a day. The distance of the Earth to Mars is 54.60 million kilometres. The distance between Earth and the Andromeda galaxy, which is the galaxy nearest to out milky way, is 2.537 million light years. The time taken to travel from the Earth to Mars is between 150 and 300 days while the time taken to travel between Earth and the Andromeda galaxy is 2.5 million light years. so imagine taking only days , months or weeks to get to Mars or the Andromeda galaxy! Imagine also, being able to travel from one universe to another universe. According to Dr Michio Kaku, a theoretical physicist, it is possible to travel, theoretically, that it is possible for more than one parallel universe to exist. 

A. How do we know which path to take through the wormhole that will lead us to our destination?

B. how do we know if we will reach our desired destination or will we end up in some other place?

C. will we age when we travel to our destination?

D. will there be a difference in time when a traveler exits a wormhole?

The picture below shows a wormhole with its entry and exit mouths and a throat? 

E. Will a traveler reach his destination in this universe or another universe? 

The picture shows a wormhole with its entry and exit points. The channel between the entry and exit points. That channel is the throat of the wormhole

In science fiction, a wormhole is seen as a shortcut between two worlds resident in the same expanse in space and time just as the other planets in or solar system exist with our planet. It is supposed to shorten the time taken to travel between planets at any distance from each other. Suppose we want to travel through a wormhole to Mars in order to shorten the trip from a couple of months to perhaps just a day, then we can plunge through the wormhole in order to achieve this. But there is no particular reason why the distance between two worlds should be shorter through a wormhole. On the contrary, the distance could be even longer. The route could be twisted and lengthy but the entry and exit mouths being closer. Just imagine a worm entering a fruit, it makes its way through the fruit but when it exits, its exit point is closer to the entry point on the surface of the fruit. As described earlier the routes through a wormhole are called Topologies.

Wormholes can also exist within the classical black holes found in Einstein equations. But these are worthless when it comes to space travel. They can easily collapse before a spacecraft can enter them, leave alone a ray of light. Additionally, black holes are formed from collapsing stars have no associated wormhole at all.

A problem with wormholes has been postulated by some scientists. They postulate that worm hole geometries are inherently unstable. They postulate that the only way to keep them stable and not collapsing is material that has negative energy density- dark matter perhaps. However, they think that it is possible that quantum fluctuations in various fields might have the chance to keep them stable. The British scientist, Stephen Hawking conjectured that if at all worm holes were created, they cannot be used for time travel. Even if some exotic matter were used to stabilize them against instabilities. He argued that even the smallest particle could destabilize them sufficiently fast enough, thus preventing their use. Perhaps a type 2 or a type 3 civilization might invent a clever way to stabile them for use in space and time travel. Nonetheless, there is no experimental evidence for them

Wormhole geometries are inherently unstable. The only material that can be used to stabilize them against pinching off is material having negative energy density, at least in some reference frame. No classical matter can do this, but it is possible that quantum fluctuations in various fields might be able to.

To conclude, wormholes are an interesting scientific concept. It is theoretical and probably impossible to create, at least with contemporary scientific knowledge. It is good material for science fiction writers, but apart from that it is wishful thinking that we could ever create a stable wormhole. But as long as science brings forth exotic theoretical concepts, the imagination will be unleashed.