Difference between Time Travel and Wormhole
One of the most intriguing concepts in modern physics and all time favorite of science fiction producers – time travel – has gained widespread popularity. Time travel, as the name suggests, is about traveling through time and considering time as the fourth dimension. If assumed to be possible with the help of a stargate or some sort of time machine one can use to travel across time in forward or backward direction hence going either into the linear future or past. Wormhole, in a very raw language, can be imagined as a tunnel in the space time fabric constituting the expanses of the multiverse (multiple universes or dimensions). Scientifically speaking, these structures are solutions of the equations of general relativity and are under research in mainstream physics. Wormholes can prove to be one of the ways in which objects can be allowed to travel through time. It is interesting to note that things can attain an apparent speed of more than that of light while travelling through wormhole. Just think of the blue Norway spiral!
Physics
Time travel is thought to be made possible using a few methods one of which is going through a wormhole. Another method can be - a thing that travels at speed comparable to that of light. Theory of relativity states that if such an object starts from say Earth and returns back then the time passed on Earth would be much greater than the time the object spent while it was moving at that speed. It can also be seen as future time travel. Wormhole on the other hand is not a process but is a topology in space time fabric which acts as a tunnel through it. In language of physics it is a solution to the equations of relativity.
Practicality
Time travel right from its birth has been a topic of debate. Some scientists who initially believed that it was possible were sometimes regarded as fools. A very common paradox that was put forward was that of the grandfather’s. If a person travels to past and kills his grandfather before his father was conceived... This gave birth to a new concept of parallel universe making the concept of time travel a bit more practical. As far as wormholes are concerned they have never been noticed practically but again it is said that who knows whether people from future are among us in such a dimension that we cannot notice them. The existence of wormholes would really depend upon the existence of some exotic matter with negative energy density.
Speed of Light
Superluminal travel that is travelling at speeds greater than light is allowed in wormholes. If made possible the intra-universe traversable wormholes would take the object from one corner of the universe to another in no time. And in case of an inter-universe this would be nothing but time travel at the speed greater than that of light or the joining of one’s matter with the great void and by using the power of thought one could reach the intended destination as a matter of exercising one’s divinely gifted will.
Summary
Time travel
- Moving along time dimension to past or future.
- Believed that can be made possible by attaining speed comparable to light or black holes or wormholes.
- Concept of parallel universe somewhat explains time travel to past.
Wormhole
- Basically a tunnel in space time fabric.
- Mathematically these are solutions to equations of general relativity.
- Existence depends on the existence of exotic matter with negative energy density.
- Allows superluminal travel that is at speed greater than that of light.
