Physics
Scientists Create Magnetic 'Wormhole' that Connects Two Distant Regions of Space
Catherine Griffin
First Posted: Sep 03, 2015 10:56 AM EDT
Scientists may have created a "wormhole" that connects two distant regions of space. They've managed to construct the first experimental "wormhole" that can connect two regions of space magnetically.
Wormholes are essentially cosmic tunnels that can connect two distant regions of the universe. These objects have been popularized in science fiction. However, using present-day technology it would be impossible to create a gravitational wormhole, since the field would have to be manipulated with huge amounts of gravitational energy, which no one yet knows how to generate.
In this latest study, the researchers used metamaterials and metasurfaces to build the tunnel experimentally, so that the magnetic field from a source, such as a magnet or an electromagnet, appears at the other end of the "wormhole" as an isolated magnetic monopole.
Magnetic monopoles, which are magnets with only one pole, do not exist in nature. This means that the overall effect is that of a magnetic field that appears to travel from one point to another through a dimension that lies outside the conventional three dimensions.
The "wormhole" in the experiment is actually a sphere made of different layers. There's an external layer with a ferromagnetic surface, a second inner layer, made of superconducting material, and a ferromagnetic sheet rolled into a cylinder that crosses the sphere from one end to the other. The sphere is made so that it's magnetically undetectable.
This latest experiment is a step forward toward possible applications in which magnetic fields are used; as an example, it could be used in medicine. In theory, this technology could increase patients' comfort by distancing them from the detectors when having MRI scans in a hospital.
The findings are published in the journal Scientific Reports.
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First Posted: Sep 03, 2015 10:56 AM EDT
Scientists may have created a "wormhole" that connects two distant regions of space. They've managed to construct the first experimental "wormhole" that can connect two regions of space magnetically.
Wormholes are essentially cosmic tunnels that can connect two distant regions of the universe. These objects have been popularized in science fiction. However, using present-day technology it would be impossible to create a gravitational wormhole, since the field would have to be manipulated with huge amounts of gravitational energy, which no one yet knows how to generate.
In this latest study, the researchers used metamaterials and metasurfaces to build the tunnel experimentally, so that the magnetic field from a source, such as a magnet or an electromagnet, appears at the other end of the "wormhole" as an isolated magnetic monopole.
Magnetic monopoles, which are magnets with only one pole, do not exist in nature. This means that the overall effect is that of a magnetic field that appears to travel from one point to another through a dimension that lies outside the conventional three dimensions.
The "wormhole" in the experiment is actually a sphere made of different layers. There's an external layer with a ferromagnetic surface, a second inner layer, made of superconducting material, and a ferromagnetic sheet rolled into a cylinder that crosses the sphere from one end to the other. The sphere is made so that it's magnetically undetectable.
This latest experiment is a step forward toward possible applications in which magnetic fields are used; as an example, it could be used in medicine. In theory, this technology could increase patients' comfort by distancing them from the detectors when having MRI scans in a hospital.
The findings are published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Related Stories
Milky Way Galaxy May be a Massive Wormhole and 'Galactic Transport System' (VIDEO)
The Problem with Time Travel: Physicists Tackle Cloning Quantum Information in the Past
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone