Ronald Mallett

Ronald Mallett, a Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of Connecticut, is recognized for his theoretical research on time travel, grounded in Einstein's general theory of relativity. His fascination with the concept of time travel culminated in the publication of his book, "Time Traveler: A Scientist's Personal Mission to Make Time Travel a Reality," in 2006. This work focused on the theoretical possibility of using light to create time loops, despite the critique it received due to the theoretical and practical challenges it presents, such as the creation of singularities and the immense energy required for twisting spacetime.

In 2007, the story of Mallett's life and his quest to build a time machine gained wider public attention when it was featured on "This American Life", Episode #324, Act 2. Mallet's memoir, "Time Traveler," has a film adaptation in development as of 2025. Mallett's theories, which involve the use of a circulating light beam to potentially produce closed timelike curves, have been a topic of discussion and controversy among the scientific community, as they challenge the widely accepted Chronology Protection Conjecture.

Mallett has been a member of prestigious scientific societies, including the American Physical Society and the National Society of Black Physicists, and he was made an honorary member of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2005. His research extends beyond time travel, encompassing black holes, general relativity, quantum cosmology, and relativistic astrophysics. Mallett has published significant papers on gravitational effects of light, including "Weak gravitational field of the electromagnetic radiation in a ring laser" and "The gravitational field of a circulating light beam". His accomplishments and perspectives have been shared with wider audiences through several documentaries, as well as an interview on "Conversations from Penn State".