At the heart of General Relativity are the Einstein field equations. These are a rather messy set of differential equations that link how energy is distributed in a space, and how that twists space and time around.
The “Gödel metric” is a mathematical solution to these equations that Gödel came up with in 1949. If you plug the metric into the EFE, it works.
And it allows for some interesting results, such as a limited form of time travel.
But just because it works mathematically doesn’t mean it works in the real world. This solution requires some very specific conditions, including swirling or spinning dust particles, and a negative cosmological constant. As far as we can tell neither of those is true.
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At the heart of General Relativity are the Einstein field equations. These are a rather messy set of differential equations that link how energy is distributed in a space, and how that twists space and time around.
The “Gödel metric” is a mathematical solution to these equations that Gödel came up with in 1949. If you plug the metric into the EFE, it works.
And it allows for some interesting results, such as a limited form of time travel.
But just because it works mathematically doesn’t mean it works in the real world. This solution requires some very specific conditions, including swirling or spinning dust particles, and a negative cosmological constant. As far as we can tell neither of those is true.