A U.S. intelligence agency document explored an idea straight out of science fiction: entering a tunnel in space and emerging somewhere far away. Written in 2010, it examined how such a passage might work under the laws of physics.
In theory, travelers could cross an enormous distance in a short time. But to keep the tunnel open, they would need an exotic form of energy. The document points to a tiny effect observed in a laboratory, but there is no known way to scale it up to the amount a large passage would require.
A Shortcut Under the Laws of Physics
The document considers a theoretical tunnel connecting two distant places. It is commonly known as a wormhole: enter at one end and emerge at the other without crossing the full distance through space.
The document also describes a version called a stargate. It has flat, wide openings rather than rounded ones. According to the calculations, travelers would not have to move faster than light to pass through the tunnel. From the outside, the journey might look as if it covered an enormous distance in a short time.
The calculations are based on Einstein’s theory of relativity, which describes the relationship between space, time, and gravity. The document argues that the equations do not rule out such a structure. But a calculation that permits an idea does not prove it can be built.
The Tiny Effect in the Laboratory
To keep the tunnel from closing, it would need negative energy, an unusual form of energy required by the models. The document describes tiny, short-lived effects of this kind of energy observed between surfaces placed very close together in a laboratory.
The effect observed there is too small to keep open a tunnel large enough for a person or spacecraft to pass through. The document focuses on the gap between a tiny phenomenon that can be measured and the enormous amount a large passage would require.
What We Still Don’t Know
There is no known way to produce and concentrate enough negative energy, or to keep it stable. The document does not describe an experiment in which a tunnel was built; it examines theoretical models and small effects observed in a laboratory.
A gateway to a distant place remains on paper. The distance between a mathematical idea and an opening someone could pass through is still immense.
