Once quantum mechanical effects are included, the hypotheses underlying the positive mass theorem of classical general relativity fail. As an example of the peculiarities attendant upon this observation, a wormhole mouth embedded in a region of high mass density might accrete mass, giving the other mouth a net negative mass of unusual gravitational properties. The lensing of such a gravitationally negative anomalous compact halo object (GNACHO) will enhance background stars with a time profile that is observable and qualitatively different from that recently observed for massive compact halo objects (MACHO's) of positive mass. While the analysis is discussed in terms of wormholes, the observational test proposed is more generally a search for compact negative mass objects of any origin. We recommend that MACHO search data be analyzed for GNACHO's.

If classical physics be regarded as comprising gravitation, source free electromagnetism, unquantized charge, and unquantized mass of concentrations of electromagnetic field energy (geons), then classical physics can be described in terms of curved empty space, and nothing more. No changes are made in existing theory. The electromagnetic field is given by the Maxwell square root of the contracted curvature tensor of Ricci and Einstein. Maxwell's equations then reduce, as shown thirty years ago by Rainich, to a simple statement connecting the Ricci curvature and its rate of change. In contrast to unified field theories, one then secures from the standard theory of Maxwell and Einstein an already unified field theory. This purely geometrical description of electromagnetism is traced out in detail. Charge receives a natural interpretation in terms of source-free electromagnetic fields that (1) are everywhere subject to Maxwell's equations for free space but (2) are trapped in the worm holes of a space with a multiply-connected topology. Electromagnetism in such a space receives a detailed description in terms of the existing beautiful and highly developed mathematics of topology and harmonic vector fields. Elementary particles and real masses are completely excluded from discussion as belonging to the world of quantum physics.

In [J. Blazquez-Salcedo, C. Knoll, E. Radu, Phys. Rev. Lett. 126 (2021) no.10, 101102] asymptotically flat traversable wormhole solutions were obtained in the Einstein-Dirac-Maxwell theory without using phantom matter. The normalizable numerical solutions found therein require a peculiar behavior at the throat: the mirror symmetry relatively the throat leads to the nonsmoothness of gravitational and matter fields. In particular, one must postulate changing of the sign of the fermionic charge density at the throat, requiring coexistence of particle and antiparticles without annihilation and posing a membrane of matter at the throat with specific properties. Apparently this kind of configuration could not exist in nature. We show that there are wormhole solutions, which are asymmetric relative the throat and endowed by smooth gravitational and matter fields, thereby being free from all the above problems. This indicates that such wormhole configurations could also be supported in a realistic scenario.

We point out that there can be humanly traversable wormhole solutions in some previously considered theories for physics beyond the Standard Model, namely the Randall-Sundrum model.

We point out that there can be humanly traversable wormhole solutions in some previously considered theories for physics beyond the Standard Model, namely the Randall-Sundrum model.

With the introduction of multiply connected topologies into physics, a question of causality arises. There are alternative routes between two points in a multiply connected space. Therefore, one may ask if a signal traveling at the speed of light along one route could be outpaced by a signal which has traveled a much shorter path through a handle or "wormhole." This paper examines one such situation and shows that in this example causality is preserved. It proves essential in the analysis to distinguish between those regions of space-time which are catastrophic and those which are not. A catastrophic region is composed of catastrophic points. A catastrophic point in space-time is so located with respect to eventual singularities in the intrinsic geometry that every time-like geodesic through it necessarily runs into a region of infinite curvature at some time in the future-or was born out of a region of infinite curvature at some time in the past-or both. If a classical analysis of nature were possible-which it is not-then it would be natural to postulate that laboratory physics is carried out in noncatastrophic regions of space-time. Two such regions are shown to exist in the example considered in the paper. It is shown that no signal can ever be sent from one to the other. The key point in preventing any violation of causality is simple: The (Schwarzschild) throat of the wormhole pinches off in a finite time and traps the signal in a region of infinite curvature. This investigation also displays some of the unusual geometric features of the Schwarzschild solution of Einstein's equations for a spherically symmetrical center of attraction. Radial spacelike geodesics passing through the throat are calculated and it is shown that there exist regions of space-time unreachable by any radial geodesics that issue from a given point. Also, there exist points in space-time from which light signals can never be received no matter how long one waits.

It is argued that, if the laws of physics permit an advanced civilization to create and maintain a wormhole in space for interstellar travel, then that wormhole can be converted into a time machine with which causality might be violatable. Whether wormholes can be created and maintained entails deep, ill-understood issues about cosmic censorship, quantum gravity, and quantum field theory, including the question of whether field theory enforces an averaged version of the weak energy condition.

We compute the expectations of the squares of the electric and magnetic fields in the vacuum region outside a half-space filled with a uniform dispersive dielectric. We find a positive energy density of the electromagnetic field which diverges at the interface despite the inclusion of dispersion in the calculation. We also investigate the mean squared fields and the energy density in the vacuum region between two parallel half-spaces. Of particular interest is the sign of the energy density. We find that the energy density is described by two terms: a negative position independent (Casimir) term, and a positive position dependent term with a minimum value at the center of the vacuum region. We argue that in some cases, including physically realizable ones, the negative term can dominate in a given region between the two half-spaces, so the overall energy density can be negative in this region.