November 12, 2006: Towards a Time Machine - Ronald Mallett

Art Bell welcomes Professor Ronald Mallett, a theoretical physicist at the University of Connecticut, who presents his research on building a time machine grounded in Einstein's general theory of relativity. Mallett explains that his quest began at age ten when his father died suddenly, and reading H.G. Wells inspired him to pursue physics with the hope of traveling back in time.

Mallett walks through the science methodically, explaining how both speed and gravity slow time according to Einstein's two theories of relativity. He reveals his key discovery: circulating light beams can twist space, and if twisted strongly enough, time bends into a loop allowing movement from the future back into the past. He uses vivid analogies, comparing curved space to a rubber sheet bent by a bowling ball and stirred coffee in a cup.

The discussion addresses time travel paradoxes through parallel universe theory from quantum mechanics. Mallett explains that arriving in the past creates a split, placing the traveler in a new universe where changes affect only that timeline. He notes one critical limitation: the machine only permits travel back to the moment it was first activated, explaining why no time travelers have yet appeared among us.