Credit: Universal
Until the T-1000s start showing up, I’ll assume this is a good idea.
Einstein’s theory of relativity can be broken into two broad strokes: special relativity and general relativity. The former states that as speed increases, time slows down (generally speaking). So if a dude rode a rocket around in space at the speed of light for a few hours, multiple years would pass here on Earth. Traveling to the future would be possible like this, sort of. Of more interest, though, is general relativity, which states that big stuff can bend space-time. Bigger stuff means more gravity, and the more gravity, the slower time passes. One scientists believes this theory holds the key to past time travel.
Astrophysicist Ron Mallett told CNN that he has authored a new scientific equation that could, at least in theory, serve as the building blocks of an honest-to-goodness time machine. He’s even got a prototype in the works, though securing help from his colleagues has been understandably difficult.
“By studying the type of gravitational field that was produced by a ring laser,” Mallett explained, “this could lead to a new way of looking at the possibility of a time machine based on a circulating beam of light.”
Mallet admits that his equation and prototype are entirely theoretical, and his colleagues have voiced their skepticism. “I don’t think [his work is] necessarily going to be fruitful,” another astrophysicist, Paul Sutter, told CNN, “because I do think that there are deep flaws in his mathematics and his theory, and so a practical device seems unattainable.”
Also, Mallet noted that even if his theoretical machine worked, it would only be able to send things back, not forward, in case anyone had any bright ideas about investing in Google or something.
