Category Archives: Time Travel

Multiple overlapping clock faces with various times, creating a surreal and abstract time concept in blue tones.

The Time Uncertainty Interval

Categories, Time Travel, , ,

The Time Uncertainty Interval: This is from appendix 5 (The Science of Time) of my new book, How to Time Travel, due to be published on Amazon early September 2013.

Since the smallest unit of time is only definable as the Planck interval, this suggests there is a fundamental limit to our ability to measure an event in absolute terms. This fundamental limit to measure an event in absolute terms is independent of the measurement technology. The error in measuring the start or end of any event will always be at least one Planck interval. This is analogous to the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, which states it is impossible to know the position and momentum of a particle, such as an electron, simultaneously. Based on fundamental theoretical considerations, the scientific community widely agrees that the Planck interval is the smallest measure of time possible. Therefore, any event that occurs cannot be measured to occur less than one Planck interval. This means the amount of uncertainty regarding the start or completion of an event is only knowable to one Planck interval. In our everyday life, our movements consist of a sequence of Planck intervals. We do not perceive this because the intervals are so small that the movement appears continuous, much like a watching a movie where the projector is projecting each frame at the rate of approximately sixteen frames per second. Although each frame is actually a still picture of one element of a moving scene, the projection of each frame at the rate of sixteen frames per second gives the appearance of continuous motion. I term this inability to measure an event in absolute terms “the time uncertainty interval.”

 

Close-up of a large clock face with Roman numerals illuminated by warm golden light.

The Science of Time – Part 3/3

Categories, Time Travel, , , , ,

The Science of Time: This is taken from appendix 5 of my new book, How to Time Travel, which will be available on Amazon in early September 2013.

Approaching a scientific definition of time

How is coordinate time related to proper time? Einstein’s special theory of relativity relates coordinate time and proper time by the following convention. For an observer with a clock in an inertial frame of reference, the coordinate time at the event is equal to proper time at the event when measured by a clock that is stationary relative to the observer and at the same location as the event. This convention assumes synchronization of the clock at the event with the observer’s clock. Unfortunately, there have been numerous methods suggested for accurately synchronizing clocks and defining synchronization. For our purposes in defining coordinate time and proper time, it is only important to assume the hands of both clocks move in unison, independent of the method of synchronization.
Most of the scientific community agrees that the most accurate definition of time requires integration with the three normal spatial dimensions (i.e., height, width, and length). Therefore, the scientific community talks in terms of spacetime, especially in the context of relativity, where the event or observer may be moving near the speed of light relative to each another.

Let us consider an example. A clock moving close to the speed of light will appear to run slower to an observer at rest (one frame of reference) relative to the moving clock (another frame of reference). In simple terms, time is not an absolute, but is dependent on the relative motion of the event and observer. It may sound like science fiction that a clock moving at high velocity runs slower, but it is a widely verified science fact. Even the clock on a jet plane flying over an airport will run slightly slower than the clock at rest in the airport terminal. Einstein predicted this time dilation effect in his special theory of relativity, and he derived an equation to calculate the time difference.

Other physical factors affect time. For example, another scientific fact is that a clock in a strong gravitational field will run slower than a clock in a weak gravitational field. Einstein predicted this time dilation effect in his general theory of relativity.
Lastly, the time dilation effects of high velocity and strong gravitational fields are additive. That means a clock moving near the speed of light will move slower if it enters a strong gravitational field.
I termed this section “Approaching a scientific definition of time” for a reason. There is no consensus on the scientific definition of time. However, we can help ourselves conceptualize time by summarizing the salient points discussed above:

  • In our everyday existence, time appears to be an absolute. Time is the same for everyone. When an event occurs, we believe it to occur simultaneously regardless of its relative position or velocity to us, or our relative position or velocity to the event. This is our everyday reality. We typically do not worry about accurately synchronizing our watches, since a minute one way or the other does not matter for most real-life applications. The simple fact is that treating time as an absolute works in most real-life applications. However, it is an illusion and breaks down as the relative velocity of any constituent approaches the speed of light, or when the distances from the event become extremely large and different for the observers. On this last point, regarding relative distances, consider the following example. An observer close to an event will record its occurrence a thousand years sooner than an observer a thousand light-years from the event. The reason for this is that it takes the light a thousand years to reach the furthest observer. This means that the stars we view at night may no longer exist. The light has traveled thousands to millions of light-years to reach our eyes. The stars may have died long ago, but we will not know it for thousands to millions of years.
  • In the world of relativity, where frames of reference can move near the speed of light or gravitational fields can play a factor, time becomes relative. Here are four examples.

1. A clock moving near the speed of light will appear to run slower to an observer at rest, relative to the clock.

2. A clock in a strong gravitational field will appear to run slower to an observer a distance (as little as one meter) farther away from the gravitational field.

3. A clock will run even slower when moving near the speed of light when it enters a strong gravitational field (i.e., the affects are additive).

4. An event will appear to occur first to the observer closest to the event. The farther away an observer is from an event, the longer it will take the light to travel to the observer, and for the observer to become aware of the event.

Notice that all our attempts to define time fail. Instead, we describe how time behaves during an interval, a change in time. We are unable to point to an entity and say “that is time.” The reason for this is that time is not a single entity, but scientifically an interval. We cannot slice time down to a shadow-like sliver, a dimensionless interval. In fact, scientifically speaking, the smallest interval of time that science can theoretically define, based on the fundamental invariant aspects of the universe, is Planck time.

Planck time is the smallest interval of time that science is able to define. The theoretical formulation of Planck time comes from dimensional analysis, which studies units of measurement, physical constants, and the relationship between units of measurement and physical constants. In simpler terms, one Planck interval is approximately equal to 10^-44 seconds (i.e., 1 divided by 1 with 44 zeros after it). As far as the science community is concerned, there is a consensus that we would not be able to measure anything smaller than a Planck interval. In fact, the smallest interval science is able to measure as of this writing is trillions of times larger than a Planck interval. It is also widely believed that we would not be able to measure a change smaller than a Planck interval. From this standpoint, we can assert that time is only reducible to an interval, not a dimensionless sliver, and that interval is the Planck interval. Therefore, our scientific definition of time forces us to acknowledge that time is only definable as an interval, the Planck interval.

Close-up of an ornate clock face with Roman numerals illuminated by a warm golden light.

The Science of Time – Part 2/3

Categories, Time Travel, , , , , ,

The Science of Time: This is taken from appendix 5 of my new book, How to Time Travel, which will be available on Amazon in early September 2013.

What happens as the frames of reference move at velocities close to the speed of light? To address this question, we need to discuss the Lorenz transformation.

Time is relative (Lorenz transformation)

To transfer the time coordinates between frames moving close to the speed of light, an entirely new transformation methodology needed to be developed. Einstein became painfully aware of this during the development of his famous special theory of relativity. As a result, he utilized the Lorenz transformation. Some authors give Einstein credit as having developed the Lorenz transformation. This is not historically correct. The Lorenz transformation was in existence prior to Einstein’s publication of the special theory of relativity in 1905. In fact, numerous physicists, including Voigt (1887), Lorentz (1895), Larmor (1897), and Poincaré (1905), contributed to its formulation. It was Poincaré, in 1905, who brought it into its final modern form and named it the Lorenz transformation. It is fair, though, to say that Einstein rederived the Lorenz transformation in the context of special relativity.

Just what is the Lorenz transformation, and how does it treat the time coordinate between frames moving at a constant rate close to the speed of light? It takes into account that light travels at a finite speed (approximately 186,000 miles/second), and that speed is a constant in any frame of reference moving at a constant velocity, typically referred to as an inertial frame of reference. As a result, according to the Lorenz transformation, different observers moving at different velocities or at rest will not measure time in the same way. Indeed, they may measure different elapsed times, and even a different orderings of events.

Time as a coordinate

At this point, it may appear obvious that time is a coordinate. Both the Galilean and Lorenz transformations view time as a coordinate, and they only differ in how they translate the time coordinate between initial frames of reference. Intuitively, when you think of time as a coordinate, it makes sense. For example, when you set a meeting, you not only set the place (i.e., the spatial coordinates), but the time (i.e., the temporal coordinate). In this context, time is a coordinate (i.e., also known as “coordinate time”). This terminology distinguishes it from “proper time,” which is not a coordinate, but rather a process. In Einstein’s special theory of relativity, “proper time” (also known as “clock time”) is a measure of change, such as the number of rotations of a simple mechanical clock’s hands. It is arbitrary. For example, proper time may refer to the time it takes a candle to burn down to a specific point. Before we go further, let us be perfectly clear on the distinction of time as a coordinate (“coordinate time”) and proper time (“clock time”). If you specify that you will meet someone at a specific time, you are using “coordinate time.” If you say it takes the second hand of your watch one minute to make a compete revolution, you are talking about proper time (“clock time”). You may wonder if coordinate time and proper time are related. It turns out they are. Einstein’s special theory of relativity relates coordinate time, proper time, and space to each other via spacetime, which we will discuss next. Stay tuned for The Science of Time – Part 3/3

Close-up of a large clock face with Roman numerals illuminated by warm golden light.

The Science of Time – Part 1/3

Categories, Time Travel, , , , ,

The Science of Time: This is taken from appendix 5 of my new book, How to Time Travel, which will be available on Amazon in early September 2013.

From a practical standpoint, the science of time started with Isaac Newton in the seventeenth century, but underwent dramatic changes early in the twentieth century, when a little-known patent examiner published a paper in the Annalen der Physik in 1905. The paper contained no references, quoted no authority, and had relatively little in the way of mathematical formulation. The writing style was unconventional for a scientific paper, relying on thought experiments combined with verbal commentary. No one suspected that the world of science was about to be changed forever. The little-known patent examiner was twenty-six-year-old Albert Einstein. The paper was on the special theory of relativity, which quietly led to the scientific unification of space and time, and the scientific realization that mass is equivalent to energy. The ink of this one paper rewrote the science of time. However, we are getting a little bit ahead of ourselves. Let us go back and start with Isaac Newton.

The English physicist Isaac Newton (1642–1727) was the greatest and most famous scientist of his time, and with good reason. He is widely credited with playing a key role in the scientific revolution, hailed as the beginning of modern science. His most important work, the publication of Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, Latin for Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, in 1687 set forth his famous three laws of motion (the foundation of Newtonian mechanics), along with his theory of gravity (Newton’s law of gravity). Newtonian mechanics and Newton’s law of gravity are still taught in high school and college science classes. Newton also contributed to optics and shared the invention (along with Gottfried Leibniz) of calculus, a critical branch of mathematics used in advanced science to this day.

Let us ask the key question: How did Newton scientifically view time? Newton thought of time as an absolute. He believed that time passed uniformly, even in the absence of change. Newton’s thoughts about the science of time would go something like this: The world is changing at varying rates, but time passes uniformly. The world stops changing completely, but time passes uniformly. Any event that occurs at a single point in time occurs simultaneously for all observers, regardless of their position or relative motion. Newton’s view of time as an absolute became a cornerstone of classical physics and prevailed until the early part of the twentieth century. In our everyday world, this view of time makes complete sense. Newton’s science of time only breaks down when observers are at vastly different distances from an event, or when the event or the observers are moving near the speed of light relative to one another. Obviously, this did not occur in the real-world situations of Newton’s era. In addition, the speed of light was not a consideration in Newtonian mechanics. Remarkably, Newtonian mechanics is still a highly successful theory for predicting and explaining typical real-world phenomena.

This next part of the story may surprise you. Newton is widely viewed as one of the most influential scientists of all time. His scientific accomplishments and writings make a strong case that his view of time as an absolute was his original work. However, this is probably not entirely true. The concept of time being an absolute actually started with Galileo.

Galileo was a brilliant Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher. Galileo and Newton never met in person, since Galileo died the same year Newton was born, 1642. However, Galileo’s scientific writings not only played a role in the scientific revolution, but it is likely Galileo played a major role in shaping Newton’s thinking. In fact, the coordinate transformation methodology that treats time as an absolute is termed the Galilean transformation. Let us understand how this came about.

Time is an absolute (Galilean transformation)

There appears little doubt that Newton’s science of time was significantly influenced by Galileo’s 1638 Discorsi e Dimostrazioni Matematiche (Discussions on Uniform Motion), since Newton’s and Galileo’s views of time are essentially identical. For example, the transformation of the time coordinate from one frame of reference to another, regardless of the relative motion of either frame, left the time coordinate unchanged. As mentioned above, this type of coordinate transformation is termed the Galilean transformation, and it works as long as the frames of reference move at low velocities. This begs a question. What happens as the frames of reference move at velocities close to the speed of light? To address this question, we need to discuss the Lorenz transformation. Stay tuned for The Science of Time – Part 2/3.

Multiple overlapping clock faces with various times, creating a surreal and abstract time concept in blue tones.

Is Humankind Ready for Time Travel?

Categories, Time Travel, , , , , ,

There is a high probability that scientists will unlock the secrets to human time travel before the end of this century. The technologies needed to develop a real time machine are already coming together.

Let us consider forward time travel, also known as “time dilation”. Particle colliders, like the CERN Large Hadron Collider, are routinely able to accelerate subatomic particles, like a muon (i.e. a negatively charged particle about two hundred times heavier than an electron), and cause time dilation (i.e. extend the life span of the particle by a factor of ten or more). How does this relate to human time travel?

It is a scientific fact that humans within a spacecraft traveling at a velocity near the speed of light would experience time dilation (i.e. forward time travel). A one-year journey, measured on a clock onboard the spacecraft, would be equivalent to decades on Earth. One technology envisioned to power such a spacecraft is a matter-antimatter propulsion engine. CERN scientists, using the Large Hadron Collider, are able to produce and store small quantities of antimatter. The United States Air Force has been funding antimatter research since the early 1960’s. If this research is successful, it could result in a spacecraft with a matter-antimatter propulsion engine, capable of velocities we can only read about in science fiction.

Time travel to the past may be just a decade away, according to Dr. Ronald Mallett, an American theoretical physicist, author, and full professor at University of Connecticut. Dr. Mallett is attempting to twist spacetime using a ring laser (i.e. a laser that rotates in a circle) by passing it through a through a photonic crystal (i.e. a crystal that only allows photons of a specific wavelength to pass through it). The concept behind “Spacetime Twisting by Light” is that by twisting space, via the laser, closed timelike curves will result (i.e. time will also be twisted). A closed timelike curve means that an object, like a neutron (i.e. a subatomic particle), will be able to travel backward in time. Dr. Mallett’s work is still in the research stage, but it represents serious time travel research by a solid member of the scientific community.

While all signs point to humankind having the ability to travel in time by the end of this century, will humankind be ready for time travel?

Most people think of time travel as either science fiction or just another frontier of science. Few realize the weapon potential of time travel. However, it is the ultimate weapon. Any government capable of enabling human time travel can dominate the world. That government can control history. If they can control history, they can control their future. The government’s agents, the time travelers, can intervene and change the past. Similarly, time traveling agents to the future will know with certainty the outcome of any event. The need for spies, secret agents, spy satellites, and the like, will become obsolete. The time machine will be the ultimate weapon, time travelers the ultimate soldiers.

If the capability to time travel is acquired by more than one government, wars as we know them will likely cease. In their place, governments will fight over “history”. Each government will seek to write its own history, and assure its future success. The “world line” (i.e. the four-dimensional path each reality traces in spacetime) will bend and twist to the will of the time machine.

The potential of using time travel as a weapon is real, and we do not know if humankind will be able to control it. If we look to history, humankind has deployed weapons, like nuclear bombs, without knowing the full long-term impact. For example, the Fat Man nuclear bomb detonated above the city of Nagasaki, not only killed 60,000 – 80,000 people in the first four months, but the long-term effects included a 25% increase in the cancer rate of survivors during their lifetime.

There is hope. Humankind recognized the uncontrollable nature of biological weapons before deploying them as weapons of mass destruction. In a 1969 press conference, United States President Richard M. Nixon stated, “Biological weapons have massive, unpredictable, and potentially uncontrollable consequences.” He added, “They may produce global epidemics and impair the health of future generations.” In 1972, President Nixon submitted the Biological Weapons Convention to the U.S. Senate: “I am transmitting herewith, for the advice and consent of the Senate to ratification, the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons, and on their Destruction, opened for signature at Washington, London and Moscow on April 10, 1972. The text of this Convention is the result of some three years of intensive debate and negotiation at the Conference of the Committee on Disarmament at Geneva and at the United Nations. It provides that the Parties undertake not to develop, produce, stockpile, acquire or retain biological agents or toxins, of types and in quantities that have no justification for peaceful purposes, as well as weapons, equipment and means of delivery designed to use such agents or toxins for hostile purposes or in armed conflict.”

Will humankind be able to control time travel in a similar fashion to biological weapons? If the answer is yes, then time travel and the associated technologies may serve humankind, assuring humankind’s survival. If the answer is no, the world line may become the new battleground, as each nation seeks to rewrite their history. Would it be possible to twist the world line beyond recognition? Will time itself fall victim to humankind’s carelessness?

With nuclear weapons, the doctrine of nuclear deterrence kept humankind from destroying itself. With time travel, we need a similar doctrine. I submit for your consideration that doctrine needs to be: Preserver the World Line.

Lou Del Monte’s new book, How to Time Travel, is expected to be released on Amazon in early September 2013.

Close-up of an ornate clock face with Roman numerals illuminated by a warm golden light.

Check Out My Huff Post Blog Article, “Time Travel to the Future Is Real”

Categories, Time Travel, , , , ,

Click on the link below to read the Huff Post Science Article:

“Time Travel to the Future Is Real”

– Physicist Louis Del Monte discusses time travel to the future, including time dilation and time travel experimental evidence in this Huffington Post article.

science of time & time dilation

The Science of Time & Time Dilation Expalined (2 videos) – Series: Time, Existence, Energy – Parts 4 & 5

Categories, Time Travel, , , ,

The Science of Time & Time Dilation Explained:
Physicist Louis Del Monte explains the science of time and time dilation. In these two videos, Del Monte introduces the Existence Equation Conjecture, the mathematical equation that equates time travel to energy, and provides examples of time dilation. Watch as Del Monte explains time dilation using the Existence Equation Conjecture.

This theory is also fully explained in Louis Del Monte’s new book, Unraveling the Universe’s Mysteries (available in paper back or as an eBook on Amazon http://amzn.to/Zo1TGn and Barnes & Noble http://bit.ly/RAv4FL).

You can follow Louis Del Monte on Twitter (https://twitter.com/delmontelouis), and view his Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/DelMonte.Louis.