Can we bend two points of spacetime in a way we would create a wormhole ?Why havent we tried it yet?How much energy would we need to do it?
-
$\begingroup$ This appears to be a question about hypothetical engineering rather than astronomy/astrophysics $\endgroup$– user24157Commented Jul 2, 2019 at 6:20
-
$\begingroup$ No, it would require matter with negative mass what was not found yet (and likely is a theoretical contradiction). $\endgroup$– peterhCommented Jul 2, 2019 at 7:02
1 Answer
Short answer: We haven't because there is no imaginable way to do it with current technology nor with any vaguely plausible extension of it.
There are two fundamental problems and some technical ones:
Space is stiff. You can measure the stiffness of a material by measuring the energy that it takes to bend it. Applying that same approach to measuring the "stiffness" of space, you find that it is far, far stiffer than the strongest steel. The energies that must be manipulated to bend space to produce a macroscopic wormhole are colossal. They far exceed what we can produce or might plausibly produce.
Secondly, wormholes are unstable. Very unstable. Even if a wormhole could somehow be created, it would snap shut faster than light could traverse it. There are theoretical ways to stabilize a wormhole, but they require the use of "exotic matter" -- matter with a very high negative mass -- and exotic matter has never been observed and we have no slightest clue how it might be produced. (The only reason that it's even considered is that our current theories don't actually say that exotic matter is impossible.)
Technical issues include the problem that the energies involved in warping space enough to produce a macroscopic wormhole would themselves produce gravitational effect which would probably destroy Earth, so it would likely need to be done in deep space. There is also theoretical work which suggests that either (a) wormholes can produce a quantum feedback that would destroy the universe or (b) wormholes are always a slower route to the other end than moving through empty space.
Note: If we ever develop a good theory of quantum gravity, this may all change. But today that's speculation piled on speculation.
-
$\begingroup$ What do you mean ""Quantum feedback which may destroy the universe? $\endgroup$– WarriorCommented Jul 1, 2019 at 12:36
-
1$\begingroup$ @Warrior If a stable wormhole could be created and if one end moves relative to the other (hard to avoid) the wormhole acts like a time machine. <askamathematician.com/2011/12/…> If this happens, you wind up with closed time-like loops and QM suggests that one possible consequence is a runaway energy flow through the wormhole. This is taken by some to suggest that wormholes are impossible. (Others take it to mean that QM is not yet a complete theory.) Me, I don't have an opinion! $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 1, 2019 at 14:23
-
2$\begingroup$ Be careful before we go too far down the rabbit-hole discussing wormholes :-) $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 1, 2019 at 15:43