Dr. Who had his Tardis, H.G. Wells had his Time Machine and Harry Potter well, he just used magic. But UBC Okanagan has a real-life time lord害羞草研究所攎athematics and physics instructor Ben Tippett.

After some serious number crunching, Tippet has come up with what he says is a mathematical model for a viable time machine.

In a recently published study about the feasibility of time travel, Tippett, whose field of expertise is Einstein害羞草研究所檚 theory of general relativity, and who studies black holes and science fiction when he害羞草研究所檚 not teaching, used math and physics to create a formula that describes a method for time travel.

害羞草研究所淧eople think of time travel as something fictional,害羞草研究所� said Tippett. 害羞草研究所淎nd we tend to think it害羞草研究所檚 not possible because we don害羞草研究所檛 actually do it. But, mathematically, it is possible.害羞草研究所�

Ever since H.G. Wells published his book Time Machine in 1885, people have been curious about time travel害羞草研究所攁nd scientists have worked to solve or disprove the theory. In 1915, Albert Einstein announced his theory of general relativity, stating that gravitational fields are caused by distortions in the fabric of space and time. More than 100 years later, the LIGO Scientific Collaboration害羞草研究所攁n international team of physics institutes and research groups害羞草研究所攁nnounced the detection of gravitational waves generated by colliding black holes billions of light years away, confirming Einstein害羞草研究所檚 theory.

The division of space into three dimensions, with time in a separate dimension by itself, is incorrect, said Tippett. The four dimensions should be imagined simultaneously, where different directions are connected, as a space-time continuum. Using Einstein害羞草研究所檚 theory, Tippett explains that the curvature of space-time accounts for the curved orbits of the planets.

In 害羞草研究所渇lat害羞草研究所� or uncurved space-time, planets and stars would move in straight lines. In the vicinity of a massive star, space-time geometry becomes curved and the straight trajectories of nearby planets will follow the curvature and bend around the star.

害羞草研究所淭he time direction of the space-time surface also shows curvature. There is evidence showing the closer to a black hole we get, time moves slower,害羞草研究所� said Tippett.

害羞草研究所淢y model of a time machine uses the curved space-time害羞草研究所攖o bend time into a circle for the passengers, not in a straight line. That circle takes us back in time.害羞草研究所�

While it is possible to describe this type of time travel using a mathematical equation, Tippett doubts that anyone will ever build a machine to make it work.

害羞草研究所淗.G. Wells popularized the term 害羞草研究所榯ime machine害羞草研究所� and he left people with the thought that an explorer would need a machine or special box to actually accomplish time travel,害羞草研究所� Tippett said.

害羞草研究所淲hile is it mathematically feasible, it is not yet possible to build a space-time machine because we need materials害羞草研究所攚hich we call exotic matter害羞草研究所攖o bend space-time in these impossible ways, but they have yet to be discovered.害羞草研究所�

For his research, Tippett created a mathematical model of a Traversable Acausal Retrograde Domain in Space-time (TARDIS). He describes it as a bubble of space-time geometry which carries its contents backward and forward through space and time as it tours a large circular path. The bubble moves through space-time at speeds greater than the speed of light at times, allowing it to move backward in time.

害羞草研究所淪tudying space-time is both fascinating and problematic. And it害羞草研究所檚 also a fun way to use math and physics,害羞草研究所� says Tippett. 害羞草研究所淓xperts in my field have been exploring the possibility of mathematical time machines since 1949. And my research presents a new method for doing it.害羞草研究所�

Tippett害羞草研究所檚 research was recently published in the IOPscience Journal Classical and Quantum Gravity.