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Wormholes
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Hypothetical spacetime shortcuts.
Solutions of general relativity (Einstein–Rosen bridges) connecting distant regions. They'd need exotic negative energy to stay open and are not known to exist.
Fiction like 'Interstellar' is based on them.
Speculative.
In more detail
Wormholes are hypothetical tunnels through spacetime that could connect distant regions. Solutions of general relativity allow them, but none has been observed, and they may require exotic matter.
Real-world uses
- Wormholes are studied as theoretical tools to explore gravity and quantum ideas.
- They are popular subjects in science fiction.
- Physicists study wormholes as theoretical solutions of general relativity that could connect distant regions of spacetime.
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Frequently asked questions
Could we travel through one?
Not with known physics, since stable wormholes would need exotic matter with negative energy density.
Have wormholes been observed?
No. They remain theoretical.
Have wormholes been found?
No. They are mathematically allowed in some models but no evidence for them has been seen.
Related topics in Relativity
Frame dragging · Light bending by the Sun · Cosmological redshift