Paradox Lost
Ron Mallett has
attained a level of stature in academia to which many aspire but only a select
few attain. A world-renowned physicist, he is regarded as a leading authority
on time travel. Fascinating research has been accompanied by fame and
professional acclaim, but the motivating factor that led Mallett to pursue
three degrees in physics was deeply personal.
“When I was 10, my father died of a heart attack. He was only
33-years-old,” Mallett relates. “I was devastated. Not long after his death, I
read H.G. Wells’ classic, The Time Machine. At that point, I conceived
of the notion of building a time machine to see my father again.”
Eventually, Mallett learned that Einstein’s theories of relativity might
lead to that possibility. And in order to understand Einstein’s work, Mallett
knew he had to understand physics.
Mallett began the pursuit of his dream as a first-year student at Penn
State Altoona in the fall of 1966. By 1973, he had earned his bachelor’s and
master’s degrees and Ph.D., all in physics. On September 14, 2006, nearly
forty years to the day when he stepped onto the Ivyside Park campus for his
first class, Mallett returned to Penn State Altoona as the inaugural recipient
of the college’s Outstanding Alumni Award.
A professor at the University of Connecticut, Mallett has discovered the
foundation for a time machine based on a circulating cylinder of light. He
outlined his principle of time travel in his paper, “Weak gravitational field
of the electromagnetic radiation in a ring laser,” published in Physics
Letters A. Citing Mallett’s work, physicist and writer Michael Brooks
said, “We’ve known for a long time that time travel is possible in theory.
What we’ve never known is how to do it. But what Mallett has come up with here
is a means to achieve it. He’s got a blueprint for a time machine.”
Mallett explained that his theoretical breakthrough involves a new way of
using Einstein’s general theory of relativity for travel to the past.
“Einstein’s special theory of relativity, which has to do with the speed of
light, allows the possibility of time travel into the future. This form of
time travel has already been demonstrated experimentally,” he states.
“Einstein’s other theory, called the ‘general theory of relativity’ has to
do with gravity and allows for the possibility of time travel into the past.”
Mallett now is actively working with an experimental colleague to verify his
theory in the laboratory.
As a public speaker, Mallett is in demand. He states that the most common
misconception is that time travel has not been achieved experimentally.
Naturally, audiences for his presentations generally include a few skeptics.
“However, after I show the sound basis for time travel in Einstein’s
theories of relativity and indicate real experiments demonstrating time
travel, people come away with a realization that time travel is possible,”
Mallett remarks.
Mallett’s celebrity has increased recently with the release of his book,
Time Traveler, A Scientist’s Personal Mission to Make Time Travel a Reality.
He describes his book as a personal memoir with science mixed in. He said
there are two basic messages that he would like his readers to take from it.
“The first is that science is a very human activity,” he stresses. “The
attempt to understand the inner workings of the universe engages the same
emotions that are the source of artistic endeavors and religious feelings. The
second message is that Einstein has shown us that time travel really is
possible.”
Recently, Mallett has reconnected with Penn State Altoona in very
meaningful ways. He accepted an invitation to serve on the college’s
Development Council, a volunteer board that assists staff in formulating
development strategies. In November, Mallett offered a public presentation on
time travel in the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts on campus.
“One of the proudest moments of my professional career was the recognition
that I received from Penn State Altoona as the first recipient of the
Outstanding Alumni Award,” Mallett states. “Penn State Altoona has and always
will occupy a special place in my life.”
While Mallett regards his book as part of his legacy, he says, “It would be
nice to be thought of as one of the pioneers of time travel. But more
importantly, I want to communicate to people the excitement of a life
dedicated to teaching and the exploration of the unknown.”
