The idea of time travel has fascinated people for a long time now. Numerous books and films have been written or directed around this idea. According to Earth.com, one such book named The Time Machine written by H. G. Wells sparked interest in time travel in the mind of an astrophysicist professor named Ron Mallet.
Key Highlights
- Ronald Mallett’s journey into astrophysics was spurred by the sudden loss of his father at age 10
- Mallett claims to have cracked time travel equation using rotating light beams to manipulate gravity
He embarked on a seemingly unbelievable quest to achieve this objective. Now, he finally claims to have made an equation for the same. Professor Mallett’s fascination with time travel and its equation has its origins in a traumatising childhood experience. Tragically, the Professor’s father, a television repairman who nurtured his son’s love of science, passed away from a heart attack when he was just ten years old. A young Mallett was feeling devastated to the core and searched for comfort in books.
Wells’s opening lines became the Professor’s life mantra: “Scientific people know very well that Time is only a kind of Space. And why cannot we move in Time as we move about in the other dimensions of Space?” This profound question ignited Mallett’s scientific journey and he dedicated himself to understanding the nature of time, determined to find a way to revisit the past and see his beloved father once more.
The professor used decades of research into black holes and Einstein’s theories of relativity to devise the time travel equation. A black hole is a huge circular area in space where the gravity surrounding the center is so powerful that it pulls everything into it, even light. The theory of relativity is an explanation of how speed affects mass, time, and space. A solution for the speed of light is used in the theory to define the relationship between energy and matter. It means that small amounts of mass (m) can be interchangeable with enormous amounts of energy (E), as defined by the classic equation E = mc^2.
Mallett’s blueprint for a time machine centres on what he terms “an intense and continuous rotating beam of light” to manipulate gravity. His device would use a ring of lasers to mimic the space-time-distorting effects of a black hole.
The quest for time travel
H.G. sparked Mallett’s interest in time travel Wells’ classic The Time Machine, which he read when he was eleven years old. He decided to explore theoretical physics to uncover the mysteries of temporal manipulation.
Mallett’s journey took him through the halls of academia and into the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War, where his love of science fiction was fueled by the iconic series, Star Trek.
Academic and professional achievements
Mallett started his distinguished academic career by earning his Ph.D. in physics from Pennsylvania State University in 1973. In 1975, he joined the University of Connecticut faculty and became a full professor in 1987.
Throughout his tenure, Mallett’s research covered a wide range of topics, including black holes, general relativity, quantum cosmology, and relativistic astrophysics, all with the overarching goal of solving the mysteries of time travel.
Cracking the equation for time travel
Mallett’s groundbreaking research led him to claim that he had solved the elusive equation for time travel. Using Albert Einstein’s theories of black holes and general relativity, he developed a revolutionary concept to manipulate gravity by rotating a beam of light. Mallett envisions a future in which time loops can be used to travel back in time by using the spacetime-distorting effects of a black hole.
During an interview with Earth.com, Mallett shared both optimism and uncertainty about his vision being realized. While acknowledging the monumental challenges, such as the need for “galactic amounts of energy” and the sheer scale of the proposed time machine, he remains a firm believer that it is theoretically possible.
However, he admits that the timeline for completion is unknown, stating, “I figured out how to do it. In theory, it is possible.”
How does Ron Mallett time machine work
The prototype laser loop he developed ends up bending time, hypothetically allowing movement back—at the farthest—to the moment the machine was turned on.
