Professor Ronald Mallett lost his father to a heart attack when he was just 10 years old. This loss not only left a deep emotional mark on his life, but also shaped a lifelong scientific goal: to travel back in time and save his father’s life.
Today, at the age of 72, Mallett is regarded as one of the leading theoretical physicists in the United States. He has devoted his entire academic career to exploring the scientific foundations of time travel.
“Was it worth it?”
The professor answers this question himself:
“Yes, it was worth it.”
He explains that Einstein’s theory of relativity has already proven that time is not constant. When subatomic particles move at speeds close to the speed of light, their lifespans increase by 10–20 times. This demonstrates that forward time travel—travel into the future—is already possible at the experimental level. According to Mallett, if spacecraft capable of moving near the speed of light are ever developed, time travel into the future could become a reality for humans as well.
The Physical Foundations of Time Travel
Mallett’s research is primarily based on Albert Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity. According to this theory:
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time is affected by gravity,
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space and time are inseparable,
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the curvature of space influences the flow of time.
He explains this concept using a simple metaphor:
Imagine a rubber sheet. When you place a heavy bowling ball on it, the sheet bends. If you then place a small marble on the sheet, the marble will roll toward the bowling ball. In reality, the bowling ball does not “pull” the marble—it simply curves the surface.
According to Einstein:
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space-time is the rubber sheet,
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the Sun is the bowling ball,
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the Earth is the marble.
The Earth orbits the Sun not because it is being “pulled,” but because the Sun curves space around it.
Bending Time by Moving Space
Mallett takes this idea even further and offers an everyday example:
Imagine a cup of coffee as space. When you stir it with a spoon, the coffee starts to move. If you drop a grain into the coffee, it will rotate and move along with the flow.
By the same principle:
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a laser beam can set space into motion,
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this motion of space can cause time to bend.
If we imagine time as a straight line stretching from the past through the present into the future, then by bending this line into a loop, it becomes theoretically possible to create time loops that return to the past. Using Einstein’s equations, Mallett constructed a mathematical model of laser-based time loops and published this work in scientific journals.
In his own words:
“This was the mathematical realization of my lifelong scientific goal.”
Practical Applications of a Time Machine
Mallett emphasizes that time machines would not only serve personal purposes, but could also benefit humanity as a whole. In his view, it could become possible to create early warning systems for:
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hurricanes,
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tsunamis,
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floods and earthquakes,
by sending messages back into the past. This could save thousands, perhaps even millions, of lives.
When Will Humans Travel Through Time?
The professor takes a realistic stance:
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such research is extremely expensive,
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the experimental phase requires millions of dollars,
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the process may take decades.
He notes that major financial sources are already showing interest in this field. The primary goal in the initial stages is to send messages into the past; physical human travel would come at a later stage.
The Problem of Time Paradoxes
Paradoxes arising from travel to the past are inevitable. At this point, Mallett refers to quantum mechanics.
In 1957, Hugh Everett III proposed the many-worlds interpretation. Later, David Deutsch developed this idea further, stating:
“When you travel into the past, you may actually enter a parallel universe. Any changes you make there would not affect the universe you came from.”
This approach theoretically resolves time paradoxes.
Why This Century?
Mallett believes that the 21st century is the most realistic period for time travel because:
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scientific and technological progress has never been this rapid in history,
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quantum technologies and space research are advancing at an unprecedented pace.
His concluding thought is:
“If there is will and financial support, time travel could become a scientific reality by the end of the 21st century.”