Novikov self-consistency principle

[majiball]

OK I have a quick question sorry not a physicist but have been reading up on it. Now they use the example below:

After considering the problem, two students at Caltech (where Thorne taught), Fernando Echeverria and Gunnar Klinkhammer, were able to find a solution beginning with the original billiard ball trajectory proposed by Polchinski which managed to avoid any inconsistencies. In this situation, the billiard ball emerges from the future at a different angle than the one used to generate the paradox, and delivers its younger self a glancing blow instead of knocking it completely away from the wormhole, a blow which changes its trajectory in just the right way so that it will travel back in time with the angle required to deliver its younger self this glancing blow. Echeverria and Klinkhammer actually found that there was more than one self-consistent solution, with slightly different angles for the glancing blow in each case. Later analysis by Thorne and Robert Forward showed that for certain initial trajectories of the billiard ball, there could actually be an infinite number of self-consistent solutions.

But would there not be some sort of reaction between the future and past objects when they come into contact, like an explosion?

Anyone know or can point me in the right direction?

thanks in advance.

 

[Demystifier]

This thread should be moved to general relativity.

 

[denian]

The Novikov self-consistency principle is a theoretical concept in physics that suggests that any event that appears to create a paradox in time travel must have a self-consistent solution that avoids any inconsistencies. In the example given, the billiard ball is able to travel back in time and deliver a glancing blow to its younger self without causing any paradoxes. This is possible because the future billiard ball is able to adjust its trajectory in just the right way to maintain the consistency of the timeline.

As for the question about a potential reaction between the future and past objects when they come into contact, this is a valid concern. However, in the context of the self-consistency principle, it is assumed that the laws of physics would prevent any such reaction from occurring. This is because the principle assumes that the timeline is self-consistent and any actions taken in the past must have already been accounted for in the future.

If you are interested in learning more about the Novikov self-consistency principle and its implications for time travel, I would suggest researching the works of physicist Kip Thorne and other experts in the field. They have conducted extensive studies and research on this concept and may be able to provide further insights and explanations.