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MagazineArticle:FromHeretoThere:ThePhysicsofTimeTravel
ByBradStone
Willyoueverbeatouristvisitingthepast?Ifso,wouldthefateofaprehistoricbutterflyactuallyshapethefateofacivilization?Criticalquestions
likethesehavebeenandcontinuetobethedebateamongphysiciststhatstudythepotentialoftimetravel.
TIMETRAVELitsthedreamofevery
Sciencefictionhackwhoseverpickedupapen,
andthefantasyofmanyoftherestofus,too.
Howwonderfultogobackandrightthewrongs
ofthepast!Buttimetravelcouldalsoletyougo
backandcauseanaccidentthatkillsyourgreat
greatgrandfather,negatingyourownexistence
andprovokingapotentiallyuniverseending
paradox.Atleastthatswhatarmchairtemporal
theoristsworryabout.ButnotPaulNahin.Hesa
professorofelectricalengineeringatthe
UniversityofNewHampshireandtheauthorof
TimeMachines:TimeTravelinPhysics,
Metaphysics,andScienceFiction.Andhesable
totranslateintoplainEnglishanongoing,
esotericdebatebetweensomeofthesmartest
mindsinphysicsoverwhethertimetravelis
actuallypossible.Thelawsofphysicsaswe
knowthemnowdontdisallowtimetravel,
explainsthe57yearoldNahin.Anythingthat
physicsdoesntforbidmustbeconsidered.
Scientificconsiderationoftimetravelhasits
roots,withmuchofmodernphysics,inthe
geniusofAlbertEinstein,whomarriedspaceand
timeinhistheoryofrelativity.Doingfurther
workonrelativityin1948,mathematicianKurt
Gdeldeclaredthatitwouldactuallybepossible
totravelthroughtimeundertherightconditions.
Seriousscientistsdidntgivethemattermuch

thoughtuntilthemid80s,whenCarlSagans
novelContactsentitsheroineonajourney
throughspacetimeviaawormhole(a
theoreticalhyperspacetunnelconnectingtwo
pointsoftheuniverse).Thatintrigued
researchersatCaltech,whothreeyearslater
releasedagroundbreakingreportonthe
plausibilityoftravelingthroughwormholes.
BritishphysicistStephenHawking
hasbeenthemostprominentskeptic,
hypothesizingthatanyattemptattime
travelwouldleadtoabackreaction,a
massivebuildupofenergythatwouldripspace
apart.Histheoryiscalledthe
ChronologyProtectionConjecture,since
itwouldmakehistorysafefromexplorerswho
mightmeddleinimportanthistoricalevents.
Thebestevidenceagainsttime
travel,accordingtoHawkingswritings,is
thatwehavenotbeeninvadedbyhordesof
touristsfromthefuture.
Otherphysicists,hopingtoprovethattime
travelistheoreticallypossible,havedevisedon
paperfourdifferentwaystodoit.Butall
requireunrealisticquantitiesofenergyunder
hugelyimprobableconditions.
Eachproposalhassupportersand
detractors.Buttheonethingthatphysicists
dontwastemuchtimeonisthe
paradoxeslikealteringthepresentbykilling
someoneinthepast.

Nahinsaystimetravelparadoxesaremanifestationsof
imperfectunderstanding.Sowhatevertheresolutionof
thetimetraveldebate,restassuredthatgrandpais
safe.
AfterReadingQuestions
(answeronaseparatesheetofpaper):
1. (ClarifyDOK1)AccordingtoProfessorNahin,
istimetravelpossible?
2. (RecallDOK1)Wheredoestheconsideration
oftimetravelstemfrom?
3. (SummarizeDOK2)AccordingtoDr.
Hawking,whatcouldpotentiallyhappenif
someoneattemptedtimetravel?
4. (MakeinferencesDOK2)Whatissomething
thatallscientistsconsiderwhenthinkingabout
timetravel?Useevidencefromthetextto
supportyouranswer.