New Type of Traversable Wormhole

Abstract

We review a new traversable-wormhole solution of the gravitational field equation of general relativity without exotic matter. Instead of having exotic matter to keep the wormhole throat open, the solution relies on a 3-dimensional "spacetime defect," which is characterized by a locally vanishing metric determinant. We also discuss the corresponding multiple-vacuum-defect-wormhole solution and possible experimental signatures from a "gas" of vacuum-defect wormholes. Multiple vacuum-defect wormholes appear to allow for backward time travel.