Scientists are looking for time travelers

[DARPA]

Time travel is possible - at least, so say the serious scientists. Most likely, the DeLorean tuned for such travel will not work; but the time travelers could use "wormholes" Tipler cylinder, and other mechanisms, based on the theory of relativity. Then why do we still have not met any of the traveler?

This question may seem silly, but scholars refer to it quite seriously. The only thing that finally would prove the feasibility of time travel - a meeting with a guest from the future. Scientists are already more than a century debate about the possibility of such travel, so that the guests time to settle all disputes, would be highly desirable. Inspired by this, scientists and visionaries with inexhaustible enthusiasm continue to experiment to identify visitors from the future in our modern world.

One of these experimenters - the famous scientist Stephen Hawking. He is absolutely convinced of the possibility of time travel, and even knows how to be arranged in a time machine. He asks: "If time travel is possible, then where are the tourists from the future?" Indeed, where are they?
Transfer time people dreamed for centuries; but only in the last century there was a scientific theory, it is proved that go back to the future is indeed possible. Unfortunately, with a journey into the past is much more complicated.

In accordance with the general theory of relativity, space-time can exist "wormholes" - bridges connecting distant points shortest path. Certain types of "wormholes" can, in theory, allow movement in both directions; but stay in the past involve a number of limitations. The most important of them - the fact that we still do not know how to create such "holes"; and when we learn, that creates a "hole" will return only to the moment of its creation - not before.

Other methods of time travel related to the relativistic time dilation: moving clocks run slower than stationary. Gravity, on the contrary, accelerates time. Thanks to the space program, this effect is confirmed experimentally: indeed, watch the ISS go a little slower than on Earth.

How big can be the effect? If you sit in a super-fast spacecraft, and wander through the galaxy in it until the earth clock continues to tick at normal speed - whether a passenger arrives at the Earth of the future? And can we somehow use this effect for travel to the past?

We do not know. We will not know until we try, and that humankind has no funds. Much easier to look for time travelers among the inhabitants of the modern world! You do not need a lab with clever equipment - enough to declare a party. At least a few eccentric scholars decided so.
One of the first high-profile experiments to search for time travelers was not too scientific. It was in the early '80s: the rise of computers and consumer electronics, the first launch "Shuttle" ... As a result, the line between science and science fiction in the minds of people began to blur. A few oddballs in Baltimore arranged that «The New York Times» called "epidemic of temporary insanity": in March 1982, when all nine planets lined up on a fast for two hundred years apart from each other - a group of people who call themselves "Hrononavtami" gathered greet "guests of all the future." As reported in "The Times", "Hrononavty drank, danced, and after midnight, some of them began to undress." Visitors from the future and is not shown; but apparently, and without them, all had a good time.

Thirty years later, in Cambridge, England, held a similar - but quite unlikely - party. This time it is not staged agitated science fiction cranks, and the Stephen Hawking. In one of the halls of Cambridge University, Hawking has placed champagne and snacks, and hung posters: "Welcome time travelers!" No one else but the time travelers, Hawking has not invited. As a result, the party so no one came.

It's hard to say how seriously Hawking take it to his experiment: we know that he is convinced of the possibility of time travel, and he has long argued that the best evidence would be a meeting with the tourists from the future; so that he could expect that someone in his party still come, despite the fact that the parties to it to anybody about it did not disclose. Only residents of the future could learn about her conduct, including his time machine and come spend the evening with the famous scientist.

On the other hand, Kip Thorne, a friend and contemporary of Hawking explains that the most likely way that will be possible to carry out time travel - through "wormholes". This means that the people of the future will be able to travel back in time to the moment just built a time machine that can create "wormholes"; but everything that preceded its construction - will remain out of reach for the future residents. In other words, once a time machine yet built - that a party to the people of the future to come Hawking can not.
Amal Dora, a graduate student from MIT, a few years before the party Hawking spent similar, though not a frivolous exercise. He did not keep it a secret - on the contrary, called Dora whole conference devoted to time travel, and he urged the participants as much as possible to advertise it:
We need volunteers to publish the information about our conference, where they will remain for a long time - so that the guests of the next millennium could learn about this conference, and join us. We do not need so many references to the Internet as needed publications in major publications such as the New York Times and Washington Post, or in printed books ... If you have any contacts in these areas - please engage them.


It happens that dreams come true eccentrics: "Times" published a really interesting about the conference. In the radio program «All Things Considered» NTR on this conference also mentioned. Talk about it in the «Wired», and even Tina Fey sneer at her «Saturday Night Live».

Advertising has been fully justified: the famous university, in any event attracts media attention; program, including the reports of famous professors; and the very idea - Conference for guests of the future - provided the catchy title! But all this was in vain. "The success of the conference has been mixed," summed up Dora. "Unfortunately, among the participants of the conference have been no verified guests from the future. It may well be that they participated incognito to avoid endless questioning about future events. "A similar conference was held in Perth, Australia, at about the same time and with the same outcome.

Dora certainly underestimated the durability of the Internet. Indeed, in 2005, when he convened the conference, yet it was obvious that the print media will give way to an audience of online publications. Dora too skeptical about the advertising of their conference on the internet - in his words, "The World Wide Web is hardly a long time to stay in its current form." Well, it's been nine years, and anything with it until it happened.

Physicists at MIT, explaining the outcome of the conference, came to the same conclusion as in the case of the party Hawking: when the time machine will be built - most likely it will not allow the movement of the past on the date of its construction. Therefore, to Dora guests from the future could not come, as they wanted to.
Last winter, two physicists from the Technical University of Michigan published a study whose title is self-explanatory: "Finding time travelers on the internet." These researchers used a different approach: they did not lure visitors from the future on a certain event, but instead began looking for "digital traces" left by such guests on the Internet.

Robert Nemiroff and Teresa Wilson searched everywhere: on twitter, on Facebook, in Google, in Google Plus and even bingo. But there was nothing. During the eight years of the experiment have not met one - not one! - Mention of the concepts of the future, which would not be known contemporaries mention.

The idea is not bad! But it turns out that Nemiroff and Wilson were looking for is not quite the usual time traveler - and one that would have to post in the words of the Future Internet. Why would he do that? According to the researchers, "Perhaps in the future, not keep the information about how long this word began to be used; perhaps a traveler astray, suggesting that this event has already taken place; maybe he is just trying to figure out, it has already happened, or not yet. "

Silly, but what to do? It is not worse than to have a party, not inviting any guest, or than to convene a conference dedicated still not invented technology. No wonder that all these attempts were overgrown with derision and parody.
Last winter, two physicists from the Technical University of Michigan published a study whose title is self-explanatory: "Finding time travelers on the internet." These researchers used a different approach: they did not lure visitors from the future on a certain event, but instead began looking for "digital traces" left by such guests on the Internet.

Robert Nemiroff and Teresa Wilson searched everywhere: on twitter, on Facebook, in Google, in Google Plus and even bingo. But there was nothing. During the eight years of the experiment have not met one - not one! - Mention of the concepts of the future, which would not be known contemporaries mention.

The idea is not bad! But it turns out that Nemiroff and Wilson were looking for is not quite the usual time traveler - and one that would have to post in the words of the Future Internet. Why would he do that? According to the researchers, "Perhaps in the future, not keep the information about how long this word began to be used; perhaps a traveler astray, suggesting that this event has already taken place; maybe he is just trying to figure out, it has already happened, or not yet. "

Silly, but what to do? It is not worse than to have a party, not inviting any guest, or than to convene a conference dedicated still not invented technology. No wonder that all these attempts were overgrown with derision and parody.