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Las tres f'rmulas de Stephen Hawking para viajar en el tiempo
Actualizado Martes , 11-05-10 a las 18 : 33
''Es posible viajar en el tiempo? 'Podemos abrir un portal al pasado o encontrar un atajo al futuro?'. El genial f'sico brit'nico Stephen Hawking se hac'a estas preguntas en un art'culo publicado esta semana en el diario Daily Mail. El cosm'logo ofrec'a no s'lo una, sino tres f'rmulas te'ricamente realistas para responder a su pregunta, tres propuestas que pueden hacer posible una idea que durante mucho tiempo ha sido una herej'a cient'fica. A su juicio, una aventura semejante ya no es tan descabellada.
Para empezar, Hawking sugiere que es indispensable abrir la mente a la idea de la cuarta dimensi'n: el tiempo. El cient'fico utiliza un ejemplo muy sencillo, el de la conducci'n. Cuando hacemos un viaje en autom'vil y conducimos en l'nea recta, viajamos en una dimensi'n. Si giramos a la derecha o al izquierda, a'adimos una segunda dimensi'n. Si adem's subimos o bajamos una carretera de monta'a, encontramos la tercera. La cuarta dimensi'n es el tiempo, pero 'c'mo encontramos un camino para viajar a trav's de 'l?:
1- Los agujeros de gusano: 'Las pel'culas de ciencia ficci'n muestran una vasta m'quina hambrienta de energ'a que crea un t'nel a trav's del tiempo. Un viajero del tiempo, un valiente, preparado para qui'n sabe qu', entre en el t'nel y emerge qui'n sabe d'nde (...) La realidad puede ser muy diferente a esto, pero la idea en s' no es tan loca', admite Hawking en su art'culo. Para los f'sicos, los t'neles en el tiempo pueden ser los agujeros de gusano. 'Est'n a nuestro alrededor, en las grietas del espacio y del tiempo, pero son demasiado peque'os para poderlos ver', explica el cient'fico. 'En la escala m's peque'a, incluso m's peque'a que las mol'culas y los 'tomos, existe la espuma cu'ntica. Aqu' es donde existen los agujeros de gusano, peque'os t'neles o atajos a trav's del espacio y el tiempo se forman y desaparecen constantemente'.
Por desgracia, estos t'neles son demasiado peque'os para que un ser humano pueda mirar por la cerradura. Miden s'lo mil millones de billones de una billon'sima de cent'metro, pero quiz's sea posible coger uno de ellos y hacerlo lo suficientemente grande para el ser humano o incluso para una nave espacial. De esta forma, podr'amos viajar a otros planetas situados a a'os luz de distancia o 'quiz's los dinosaurios de la Tierra podr'an ver aterrizar una nave'.
Claro que el agujero de gusano tiene un peque'o problema, lo que Hawking llama la 'Paradoja del cient'fico loco'. 'Qu' pasar'a si un cient'fico usa el agujero para disparar contra su yo del pasado? Ahora est' muerto, pero 'qui'n dispar'? Es una paradoja, no tiene sentido. El tipo de situaci'n que provoca pesadillas a los f'sicos. Este tipo de m'quina del tiempo violar'a una regla fundamental que gobierna el universo entero: las causas suceden antes de los efectos, y nunca al rev's. El viaje al pasado ser'a imposible, pero, 'y al futuro?
Un agujero de gusano en el espacio.
2) Los agujeros negros: 'Nos parece que el tiempo fluye como un r'o, a diferentes ...
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