One of the most mysterious objects in the universe that scientists are eager to discover may reveal itself through a black hole-like ability: Bending Light.
A recent study published in the scientific journal Physical Review D has identified a “golden key” that could help uncover wormholes (Einstein-Rosen Bridges), which may enable Earthlings to explore worlds beyond our solar system.
Wormholes are theoretical funnel-shaped gateways that have been described by many scientists around the world. Through them, matter – and even spacecraft – could take a shortcut through spacetime.
Graphic depicting a wormhole – (Image: NEW SCIENTIST).
According to Live Science, no one has yet successfully proven the existence of wormholes, but physicists have spent decades proposing hypothetical properties of this object and how it might operate.
In the new study, the simulated model indicated that if wormholes exist, they could be large enough to activate an aspect of Einstein’s theory of relativity: Extremely massive objects bend the structure of spacetime to the extent that they cause light to curve.
This phenomenon has been commonly observed with black holes or large galaxies and occasionally allows humanity to look further into deep space, as the bending light inadvertently forms a gravitational lens – a gigantic cosmic magnifying glass.
Therefore, the first task scientists should undertake is to identify a distant object that is being magnified by an invisible entity.
“The magnification through the distortion created by a traversable wormhole could be significant and might be testable someday,” said lead author Lei-Hua Liu from Jishou University in Hunan, China.
Dr. Liu also noted how to distinguish the light bending of a wormhole from that of a black hole. A gravitational lens through a black hole typically creates four mirrored images of an object; whereas a wormhole would create three, including two dim images and one very bright one.
