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Superluminal phenomena shed new light on time

Is it possible to travel faster than light? Can we travel back in time, or send signals into the past? These questions have intrigued physicists since the discovery of special relativity nearly a century ago highlighted the fundamental nature of the speed of light and revolutionized our concept of time. Graham Shore describes recent research that sheds new light on these old questions.

cernsuper1_4-02

Quantum effects such as vacuum polarization in gravitational fields appear to permit “superluminal” photon propagation and give a fascinating new perspective on our understanding of time and causality in the microworld. To understand these new developments, we first need to question the origin of the received wisdom that superluminal motion necessarily leads to unacceptable causal paradoxes. In special relativity, the problem arises because while all observers agree about the time ordering of events linked by a subluminal signal, for a superluminal signal different observers disagree on whether the signal was received after or before it was emitted. In other words, viewed in a certain class of inertial frames, a superluminal signal travels backwards in time (figure 1). However, by itself this is not sufficient to establish the familiar causal paradoxes associated with time travel. A genuine causal paradox requires a signal to be sent from the emitter to a point in its own past light-cone – a time-reversed return path must also be possible. In special relativity, such a return path is guaranteed by the existence of global inertial frames. Crucially, a causal paradox requires both of these conditions to be met.

This is the loophole that may allow the possibility of superluminal propagation in general relativity. Einstein’s theory of gravity is based on the weak equivalence principle, which states that at each point in space-time there exists a local inertial frame – in other words a freely falling observer does not feel a gravitational force. This principle leads directly to the description of gravity by a curved space-time that is locally flat. In the conventional theory, however, this is supplemented by a further simplifying assumption, known as the strong equivalence principle (SEP), which requires that dynamical laws are the same in each of these local inertial frames.

While the SEP may be consistently imposed in classical physics, somewhat surprisingly it is violated in quantum theory (see Further information). In quantum electrodynamics (QED), Feynman diagrams involving a virtual electron-positron pair influence the photon propagator. This gives the photon an effective size of the order of the Compton wavelength of the electron. If the space-time curvature has a comparable scale, then an effective photon-gravity interaction is induced. This depends explicitly on the curvature, in violation of the SEP. The photon velocity is changed and light no longer follows the shortest possible path. Moreover, if the space-time is anisotropic, this change can depend on the photon’s polarization as well as direction. This is the quantum phenomenon of “gravitational birefringence”. The effective light-cones for the propagation of photons in gravitational fields no longer coincide with the geometrical light-cones fixed by the local Lorentz invariance of space-time, but depend explicitly on the local curvature.

Superluminal photons

Drummond and Hathrell first described this phenomenon in a seminal paper in 1980. But a further surprise was in store. When they computed the quantum modifications to the light-cones, they found that in many cases the photon velocity was superluminal. Indeed we now know that for propagation in vacuum space-times (solutions of Einstein’s field equations in regions with no matter present, such as the neighbourhood of the event horizon of black holes), there is a general theorem showing that if one photon polarization has a conventional subluminal velocity, the other polarization is necessarily superluminal. In fact, gravity affects the photon velocity in two distinct ways: the first through the energy momentum of the gravitating matter; and the second through the component of the curvature of space-time that is not determined locally by matter, the so-called Weyl curvature. It is this that produces birefringence.

Can superluminal photon propagation really be compatible with the principle of causality, or does it necessarily imply the existence of time machines? After all, such motion is genuinely backwards in time as viewed locally by a class of inertial observers. The question remains controversial, but the key is the SEP. In special relativity, a causal paradox requires both outward and return signals to be backwards in time in a global inertial frame. In general relativity, however, global Lorentz invariance is lost and the existence of a sufficiently superluminal return signal is not guaranteed. The quantum violation of the SEP certainly permits superluminal motion, but with photon velocities predetermined by the local curvature. Consistency with causality is therefore a global question. If the original space-time admits a global causal structure with respect to the geometrical light-cones, then causality will be respected even in the presence of superluminal photons if this structure is preserved with respect to the new light-cones. This rapidly leads to sophisticated issues of global topology in general relativity, but at this stage superluminal photons appear to be both consistent with causality and predicted by QED.

Black holes and cosmology

Since the original Drummond-Hathrell discovery, superluminal photons have been studied in a variety of curved space-times, ranging from the Schwarzschild, Reissner-Nordström or Kerr metrics describing black holes to the Bondi-Sachs space-time describing gravitational radiation from an isolated source and the Friedmann-Robertson-Walker (FRW) space-time of Big Bang cosmology. One of the most fascinating results to emerge involves the status of the event horizon surrounding a black hole. At first sight, it seems that if we can exceed the usual speed of light, it may be possible to escape from within the black hole horizon. If so, the location of the effective horizon would become fuzzy on a microscopic scale, with potentially far-reaching consequences for the quantum theory of black holes. Remarkably, however, it turns out that this possibility is not realized – while the light-cones of physical photons may differ from the geometrical light-cones everywhere else, they coincide exactly on the event horizon. Once again, the superluminal phenomenon evades a potentially paradoxical clash with the causal properties of space-time.

Another fascinating result involves the propagation of photons in the very early universe. Investigations of superluminal photons in the FRW space-time show that photon velocity increases rapidly at early times, independently of polarization. Recent work on the rather different subject of cosmologies in which the fundamental constant c varies over cosmological time has shown that an increase in the speed of light in the early universe can resolve the so-called “horizon problem”, which motivates the popular inflationary model of cosmology. Quantitative predictions of the size of quantum-induced superluminal photon velocities in the strong gravitational fields characterizing the inflationary epoch are currently beyond reach, but it is intriguing to reflect that quantum theory predicts that the physical speed of light increased sharply in the very early evolution of the universe.

Gravitational rainbow

The most recent research into superluminal photon propagation in QED has focused on the key issue of dispersion. In conventional optics, light passing through a refractive medium has a reduced phase velocity that depends on its frequency. This dispersive effect allows the group velocity of a wave pulse to differ from its phase velocity, and to be significantly greater or less than c. This is the origin of several striking recent experiments on the speed of light, notably those of Vestergaard Hau and colleagues at Harvard in which they reduce the group velocity of a light pulse almost to zero by shining tuned lasers on a cloud of ultracold sodium atoms.

For fundamental questions relating to causality, however, the relevant “speed of light” is not the group velocity, but the asymptotic value of the phase velocity at high frequency. The original analysis of Drummond and Hathrell determined the phase velocity in the low-frequency limit, so it is of critical importance to extend their work and discover the full dispersion relation for the quantum propagation of photons in a gravitational field. We need to find the frequency dependence of the refractive index for gravity – in other words, the gravitational rainbow. There is, however, a fundamental theorem of conventional optics that requires the refractive index at high frequency to be less than at low frequency. If this remains true in the gravitational context, then the original superluminal prediction would in fact be a lower bound on the crucial asymptotic phase velocity. However, the validity of this theorem in the presence of gravity has been questioned and a final resolution must rely on explicit computations of high-frequency propagation. Significant progress has recently been made, suggesting that the superluminal phenomenon can persist to high frequency, but research is ongoing and further surprises cannot be ruled out.

Gravitational lensing

Theoretical evidence for superluminal phenomena is so far confined to the bizarre quantum microworld where virtual particles interact with a foamy, curved space-time. This is the regime where quantum field theory in curved space-time comes into its own and other phenomena arise that challenge our fundamental assumptions about the laws of nature, such as the famous prediction of Hawking radiation from microscopic black holes. But once the cat is out of the bag, it is hard to squeeze it back in. Once we have established that, in principle, superluminal light is possible and the SEP can be violated without compromising causality, it becomes an urgent question to ask whether nature has chosen to take advantage of this scenario on macroscopic, astrophysical scales. If so, how would we observe violations of the SEP in astronomy?

cernsuper3_4-02

Gravitational birefringence produces a polarization-dependent shift D f = (f 2 /R 2 ) f in the Einstein formula for the angle of deflection f = 4M/R of light with closest approach distance R to a spherically-symmetric mass M. This would be seen if f 2 were characterized by an as yet unknown large scale rather than the quantum scale l c derived in Further information, and would produce a polarization dependence in the apparent position of the lensed images. Observation of this effect would be direct evidence for gravitational birefringence and imply a violation of the strong equivalence principle on astronomical scales. (Photo: Kavan Ratnatunga, Johns Hopkins University.)

The clearest indication of a modified speed of light would be a change in the classic Einstein formula for the deflection of light by a massive object. This was the original prediction of general relativity that was triumphantly verified by Eddington’s 1919 expedition to Brazil, when the deflection of light from a distant star by the Sun was observed during a solar eclipse. This effect is the origin of gravitational lensing (see Hubble image), which in recent years has been developed into a precise and sophisticated tool in astronomy and is used in searches for dark matter and protogalaxies. Gravitational birefringence on astrophysical scales would show up as polarization dependence in gravitational lensing, with the apparent positions of the lensed images changing with the polarization of the observed light. Polarization dependence in gravitational lensing would therefore be a smoking gun for interactions between light and gravity that violate the SEP, and its discovery would have profound implications for fundamental physics.

Further information

cernsuper2_4-02

In QED, Feynman diagrams involving a virtual electron-positron pair effectively give the photon a “size” of the order of the Compton wavelength l c of the electron ((a) in diagram). This produces an interaction between the photon and gravity that distorts the photon’s trajectory through curved space-time so that it no longer follows the usual geodesic path ((b) in diagram). This effect changes the light-cones from k 2 = 0 to k 2 = f 1 T m n k m k n + f 2 C m r n s k m k n e r e s where k and e are the photon’s momentum and polarization. There are two distinct effects – one due to the energy momentum T m n of matter and a second, polarization-dependent, interaction depending on the Weyl curvature C m r n s of the space-time. The remarkable feature of this formula is that it permits both k 2 > 0 and k2 < 0, implying superluminal motion ((c) in diagram). p> In the low-frequency limit, f1 and f2 are constants of the order of al c 2 , where a is the fine-structure constant. This determines the magnitude of the photon velocity shifts to be of the order of al c 2 /L 2 , where L is a typical curvature scale.

In general, f 1 and f 2 are functions depending on derivatives of the curvature. Determining their precise form is the subject of current research aimed at a complete determination of the dispersion relation for photon propagation in gravitational fields.

Further reading

I T Drummond and S J Hathrell 1980 Phys. Rev. D22 343.

G M Shore 1996 Nucl. Phys. B460 379.

A D Dolgov and I D Novikov 1998 Phys. Lett. B442 82.

G M Shore 2001 Nucl. Phys. B605 455.

Graham Shore , University of Wales Swansea.

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December 22, 2022

Three time dimensions, one space dimension: Relativity of superluminal observers in 1+3 spacetime

by University of Warsaw

particle

How would our world be viewed by observers moving faster than light in a vacuum? Such a picture would be clearly different from what we encounter every day. "We should expect to see not only phenomena that happen spontaneously, without a deterministic cause, but also particles traveling simultaneously along multiple paths," argue theorists from universities in Warsaw and Oxford.

Also the very concept of time would be completely transformed—a superluminal world would have to be characterized with three time dimensions and one spatial dimension and it would have to be described in the familiar language of field theory. It turns out that the presence of such superluminal observers does not lead to anything logically inconsistent, moreover, it is quite possible that superluminal objects really exist.

In the early 20th century, Albert Einstein completely redefined the way we perceive time and space. Three-dimensional space gained a fourth dimension—time, and the concepts of time and space, so far separate, began to be treated as a whole. "In the special theory of relativity formulated in 1905 by Albert Einstein, time and space differ only in the sign in some of the equations," explains prof. Andrzej Dragan, physicist from the Faculty of Physics of the University of Warsaw and Center for Quantum Technologies of the National University of Singapore.

Einstein based his special theory of relativity on two assumptions: Galileo's principle of relativity and the constancy of the speed of light. As Andrzej Dragan argues, the first principle is crucial, which assumes that in every inertial system the laws of physics are the same, and all inertial observers are equal. "Typically, this principle applies to observers who are moving relative to each other at speeds less than the speed of light (c). However, there is no fundamental reason why observers moving in relation to the described physical systems with speeds greater than the speed of light should not be subject to it," argues Dragan.

What happens when we assume—at least theoretically—that the world could be observable from superluminal frames of reference? There is a chance that this would allow the incorporation of the basic principles of quantum mechanics into the special theory of relativity . This revolutionary hypothesis of prof. Andrzej Dragan and prof. Artur Ekert from the University of Oxford presented for the first time in the article "Quantum principle of relativity" published two years ago in the New Journal of Physics .

There they considered the simplified case of both families of observers in a space-time consisting of two dimensions: one spatial and one time dimension. In their latest publication in the journal Classical and Quantum Gravity , titled "Relativity of superluminal observers in 1 + 3 spacetime", a group of 5 physicists goes a step further, presenting conclusions about the full four-dimensional spacetime.

The authors start from the concept of space-time corresponding to our physical reality: with three spatial dimensions and one time dimension. However, from the point of view of the superluminal observer, only one dimension of this world retains a spatial character, the one along which the particles can move.

"The other three dimensions are time dimensions," explains prof. Andrzej Dragan. "From the point of view of such an observer, the particle 'ages' independently in each of the three times. But from our perspective—illuminated bread eaters—it looks like a simultaneous movement in all directions of space, i.e. the propagation of a quantum-mechanical spherical wave associated with a particle," comments prof. Krzysztof Turzyński, co-author of the paper.

It is, as explained by prof. Andrzej Dragan, in accordance with Huygens' principle formulated in the 18th century, according to which every point reached by a wave becomes the source of a new spherical wave. This principle initially applied only to the light wave, but quantum mechanics extended this principle to all other forms of matter.

As the authors of the publication prove, the inclusion of superluminal observers in the description requires the creation of a new definition of velocity and kinematics. "This new definition preserves Einstein's postulate of constancy of the speed of light in vacuum even for superluminal observers," prove the authors of the paper. "Therefore, our extended special relativity does not seem like a particularly extravagant idea," adds Dragan.

How does the description of the world to which we introduce superluminal observers change? After taking into account superluminal solutions, the world becomes nondeterministic, particles—instead of one at a time—begin to move along many trajectories at once, in accordance with the quantum principle of superposition.

"For a superluminal observer, the classical Newtonian point particle ceases to make sense, and the field becomes the only quantity that can be used to describe the physical world," notes Andrzej Dragan. "Until recently it was generally believed that postulates underlying quantum theory are fundamental and cannot be derived from anything more basic. In this work we showed that the justification of quantum theory using extended relativity, can be naturally generalized to 1 + 3 spacetime and such an extension leads to conclusions postulated by quantum field theory," write the authors of the publication.

All particles therefore seem to have extraordinary properties in the extended special relativity. Does it work the other way around? Can we detect particles that are normal for superluminal observers, i.e. particles moving relative to us at superluminal speeds?

"It's not that simple," says prof. Krzysztof Turzyński. "The mere experimental discovery of a new fundamental particle is a feat worthy of the Nobel Prize and feasible in a large research team using the latest experimental techniques. However, we hope to apply our results to a better understanding of the phenomenon of spontaneous symmetry breaking associated with the mass of the Higgs particle and other particles in the Standard Model, especially in the early universe."

Andrzej Dragan adds that the crucial ingredient of any spontaneous symmetry breaking mechanism is a tachyonic field. It seems that superluminal phenomena may play a key role in the Higgs mechanism.

Journal information: New Journal of Physics

Provided by University of Warsaw

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superliminal time travel

Faster-Than-Light Travel is Possible, Theoretical Study Suggests

A new theoretical paper , published in the journal Classical and Quantum Gravity , reignites the debate about the possibility of superluminal (faster-than-light) travel based on conventional physics.

Solitons capable of transporting time-like observers at superluminal speeds have long been tied to violations of the energy conditions of general relativity; the negative-energy sources required for these solitons must be created through energy-intensive uncertainty principle processes as no such classical source is known in particle physics; Dr. Lentz overcomes this barrier by constructing a class of soliton solutions that are capable of superluminal motion. Digital art by Les Bossinas, Cortez III Service Corp., 1998.

Solitons capable of transporting time-like observers at superluminal speeds have long been tied to violations of the energy conditions of general relativity; the negative-energy sources required for these solitons must be created through energy-intensive uncertainty principle processes as no such classical source is known in particle physics; Dr. Lentz overcomes this barrier by constructing a class of soliton solutions that are capable of superluminal motion. Digital art by Les Bossinas, Cortez III Service Corp., 1998.

“If travel to distant stars within an individual’s lifetime is going to be possible, means of faster-than-light propulsion will have to be found,” said Dr. Erik Lentz , a researcher at the Institut für Astrophysik at the Georg-August Universitat Göttingen.

“To date, even recent research about superluminal transport based on Einstein’s theory of general relativity would require vast amounts of hypothetical particles and states of matter that have exotic physical properties such as negative energy density.”

“This type of matter either cannot currently be found or cannot be manufactured in viable quantities.”

“In contrast, the new research gets around this problem by constructing a new class of hyper-fast solitons — or ‘warp bubbles,’ compact waves that maintain their shape and move at constant velocity — using sources with only positive energies that can enable travel at any speed.”

According to Dr. Lentz’s paper, there are yet-to-be explored configurations of space-time curvature organized into ‘solitons’ that have the potential to solve the puzzle while being physically viable.

“We derived the Einstein equations for unexplored soliton configurations (where the space-time metric’s shift vector components obey a hyperbolic relation), finding that the altered space-time geometries could be formed in a way that worked even with conventional energy sources,” he said.

“In essence, the new method uses the very structure of space and time arranged in a soliton to provide a solution to faster-than-light travel, which — unlike other research — would only need sources with positive energy densities. No ‘exotic’ negative energy densities needed.”

“In addition, the solitons were configured to contain a region with minimal tidal forces such that the passing of time inside the soliton matches the time outside: an ideal environment for a spacecraft.”

This means there would not be the complications of the so-called ‘ twin paradox ’ whereby one twin traveling near the speed of light would age much more slowly than the other twin who stayed on Earth: in fact, according to the recent equations both twins would be the same age when reunited.

“This work has moved the problem of faster-than-light travel one step away from theoretical research in fundamental physics and closer to engineering,” Dr. Lentz said.

“The next step is to figure out how to bring down the astronomical amount of energy needed to within the range of today’s technologies, such as a large modern nuclear fission power plant. Then we can talk about building the first prototypes.”

“The energy required for this drive traveling at light speed encompassing a spacecraft of 100 m (328 feet) in radius is on the order of hundreds of times of the mass of Jupiter.”

“The energy savings would need to be drastic, of approximately 30 orders of magnitude to be in range of modern nuclear fission reactors.”

“Fortunately, several energy-saving mechanisms have been proposed in earlier research that can potentially lower the energy required by nearly 60 orders of magnitude.”

Erik W. Lentz. 2021. Breaking the warp barrier: hyper-fast solitons in Einstein-Maxwell-plasma theory. Class. Quantum Grav 38: 075015; doi: 10.1088/1361-6382/abe692

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The Tricky Illusion That Looks Faster Than Light

There are some things that look like they're moving faster than light when we view them through a telescope. How is this possible?

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Nothing can travel faster than light. This is an innate law of the universe which can never be broken. But if you're not careful when looking through a telescope, you could be fooled into thinking that this universal law is being violated.

Apparent Superluminal Motion

Take a look at this image on the left. It's a series of observations made by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in the 1990s, a jet of hot gas being fired from a quasar. In this image, you can see one green blob of gas moving over about a six-year period. The scale on the bottom indicates that the green blob traveled about 35 light-years over those six years.

How is this possible? The theory of relativity clearly prohibits moving faster than light, and yet here is an image of a gas jet doing exactly that. Maybe the bottom scale is wrong? Nope. We know how far away the galaxy is and we can calculate these distances very accurately.

It turns out that this image is a type of optical illusion arising from the fact that space is 3-dimensional, while our images are not. The gas jet in the photo is actually not headed sideways like it appears. Instead, it's headed almost directly toward us.

In this video by Sixty Symbols, Professor Mike Merrifield looks at another example of this phenomenon:

This strange phenomenon—called apparent superluminal motion—works because of the limited speed of light. If a jet of hot gas is moving toward us at nearly the speed of light, the light that's traveling toward us is coming from a place much closer than we think it is and arrives much sooner than we expect it to.

The result is that light that was emitted over a span of decades might all arrive on Earth within a span of only a few years. The jet is essentially racing behind the light it emits, compacting several decades of light into a much shorter timeframe. When we look at a jet like the one above, we see 35 light-years of distance covered in six years, but in reality the jet traveled much farther and took much longer to do it.

Even in astronomy, your eyes can deceive you.

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The Debrief

New Superluminal Theory Transforms Our Concept of Time with “Extension” of Special Relativity

Theoretical physicists from Warsaw and Oxford universities argue that a superluminal world possessing three temporal dimensions and one dimension in space could potentially change our concept of time, according to a new paper.

The researchers involved say they have developed “an extension of special relativity” that incorporates three individual time dimensions with a single space dimension, which helps explain how observations made by “superluminal” observers—inertial observers moving faster than the speed of light—might appear.

Within such a framework, the researchers argue that spontaneous events that can occur in the absence of a deterministic cause and other strange phenomena would be experienced by observers moving faster than the speed of light within a vacuum, concepts that potentially transform our concept of time as we know it.

However, they further argue that superluminal objects would require descriptions within the framework of field theory, meaning the existence of such objects is logically consistent with past models.   

Based on past observations by lead author Andrzej Dragan and colleague Artur Ekert, the pair and their co-authors of a recent paper argue that such an extension of special relativity would not give rise to paradoxes as past research has proposed.

“Instead,” they write, “such an extension modifies the notion of causality in the same way quantum theory does.” The researchers cite alleged problems proposed in the past that are related to the relationship between cause and effect, which result from the presence of superluminal particles when viewed within existing frameworks for relativity, where only one dimension of space and time is presumed to exist.

In their new paper, the authors modify this argument by proposing three dimensions of time and a single spatial dimension, which they acknowledge does give rise to its own problems.

According to Dragan and Ekert, “generalizing this scheme to a relativistic framework in a 1+3 dimensional spacetime poses some serious challenges, both mathematical and interpretational.” However, the researchers believe the answer to overcoming these challenges involves the extension of special relativity to incorporate frames of reference that might occur at faster-than-light speeds.

“[O]ne of the most interesting aspects of extending special relativity to superluminal frames of reference is the emergence of field theory,” the authors write in their paper, involving the combination of classical field theory, special relativity, and quantum mechanics.

Building on the concepts presented in Einstein’s special theory of relativity, Dragan and his coauthors relied on Einstein’s assumption that inertial systems are uniform, and that all inertial observers are therefore equal. Einstein outlined this in his theory with regard to observers that are moving relative to each other at speeds far slower than the speed of light, although Dragan and his coauthors argue that even at “superluminal” greater than light speeds, an observer should still be subject to the same laws of physics.

If an observer were viewing our world from such a hypothetical superluminal point of view, one result would be that the principles of quantum mechanics could thereby be incorporated within the special theory of relativity. This concept was first proposed by Dragan and Ekert in a paper two years ago, where they initially looked at only single time and space dimensions, or a 1 + 1 spacetime.

However, Dragan, Ekert, and their coauthors now extend this model to incorporate a 1 + 3 spacetime, where they argue that an observer moving superluminally would perceive only one dimension of this world as having a spatial component, within which particle movement can occur. A particle viewed by this observer would be perceived to age with respect to each of the three time dimensions—something you or I would view as a particle engaged in simultaneous movement in several directions of space. In other words, the authors say that in our spacetime frame of reference, we would be viewing the same singular particle, but seen from our perspective as the propagation of a quantum-mechanical spherical wave.

Breaking this concept down further, Dragan recently said in a press release that this idea builds off the Huygens-Fresnel principle, which states that each point on a wave becomes the source of a new spherical “wavelet,” each of which mutually interferes with the other to form an entirely new wavefront. Originally this principle was only applied to light, but within the context of quantum mechanics, it has since been extended to all forms of matter.

By including superluminal observers, the researchers now argue that our concepts of velocity and kinematics must be redefined. Doing so preserves Einstein’s assumptions about the speed of light within a vacuum as a universal constant, even when viewed by a superluminal observer. Dragan, Ekert, and their coauthors argue that their seemingly bold proposition of extending special relativity to include three time dimensions and a single space dimension is not unwarranted and, in fact, makes perfect sense.

rover life

Mars Rover Making Mad Dash to Tantalizing Life Target

Fundamentally, what the researchers say this allows for is a very different view of reality than the one we are used to. Classical Newtonian observations of a “point particle” no longer make sense for a superluminal observer and instead require viewing such phenomena as a field, which the authors say would be the only way that the physical world can accurately be described.

“Until recently it was generally believed that postulates underlying quantum theory are fundamental and cannot be derived from anything more basic,” the authors write in their paper.

“In this work we showed that the justification of quantum theory using extended relativity… can be naturally generalized to 1 + 3 spacetime and such an extension leads to the field-theoretic formulation of the quantum theory.”

“This justifies, or at least provides a plausibility argument, why this extension is not just an eccentric thought exercise,” the authors say, “but reflects something fundamental about symmetries of laws of physics.”

The team’s paper, “Relativity of superluminal observers in 1+3 spacetime,” was accepted for publication and can currently be read in its entirety here .

Micah Hanks is Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. Follow his work at   micahhanks.com  and on Twitter:   @MicahHanks . 

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Complete Superliminal Walkthrough

Image of Cameron Waldrop

First-person puzzle games can be fun, but also a bit frustrating depending on the game. Superliminal puzzles use perspective and item manipulation to add complexity, and the solutions aren’t always obvious. If you’re stuck while working through it, we have this complete Superliminal walkthrough to help you.

Superliminal Chapter 9 Puzzles

There is a trophy/achievement for finishing Superliminal in under 35 minutes, so the following solutions should help you cut down on time. The options menu has a speedrun clock you can turn on only when starting a brand-new run if you want to keep track.

Superliminal Chapter 1 Puzzles

First Puzzle Blocks

The first puzzle takes place in this room with all these blocks. The door is on the right side, over the C2 block.

Simply pick up the B0 block from anywhere and move around until it is smaller than the C2 block by enough that you can jump onto it. Now jump onto the C2 block and leave.

First Puzzle Block Solution

You can pick up any object and simply stand there and hold it for two minutes for the Vaguely Activated Achievement trophy/achievement.

Second Puzzle Door and Switch

All that is in this room is a floor plate that operates the door, but there isn’t anything you can place on it. For this, step on the plate and move enough right that you can see the block on the table in the next room. Pick the block up and set it at your feet on the switch to keep the door open.

Once through the door, turn back around and pick the block up. Now just set it up in front of the exit in a spot that will let you jump up onto it and leave.

Second Puzzle Block Exit

The hole on the left leads to a room with a pawn on the table. Pick up the pawn and take it to the right hole to drop on the pressure plate, this will open the door, and you can leave.

Chess Piece on Switch

You’ll need to use the cheese wedge on the table to make yourself a ramp. The best way to make it big enough is to hold it and look straight up before dropping it to increase its size drastically.

You’ll likely have to do this a few times to get it the right size. Try to position it right on the door, as any movement might cause it to shrink.

Correct Cheese Ramp Size

As you can likely tell, you’ll need to shrink the massive block and fit it into the slot by the door. For this, do the opposite of the cheese and look at the floor while holding it. This won’t get it small enough, so now walk to the other side of the room and pick it up from there to have it the right size. You can also walk into a wall while holding it to shrink it down.

Now all that is left is to walk back over and place it on the switch through the hole.

Shrunken Block Solution

If you open up the boarded doorway, it will lead to a vending machine you can use to get a soda. Take the soda back into the puzzle room and drop it from above you so it busts open. This will unlock the Sugar Crash trophy/achievement.

You can also keep resetting the checkpoint and selecting different soda from the machine for the Soda Connisseur trophy/achievement.

Sixth Puzzle Room

This room has a cube on the left and a broken window on the right that leads to the door switch. Simply follow the method you used in the previous puzzle to shrink the cube, then position it right here through the broken glass to drop it onto the switch.

Block Placement Solution for Puzzle Six

Pick up the block while standing at the furthest corner away from it. Now look up and move to the wall with the black and yellow markings, aiming to position the block perfectly over it.

Put it roughly where it covers one of the overhead lights and then let it drop, making it fall onto the other side or land perfectly on the wall. Now cross the doorway and pick up the block to place it onto the switch to open the door.

Puzzle Seven Block Placement

You’re in a room with two switches and no blocks. However, you can remove the sign above the door. Use the technique to make it big and rotate it to be horizontal. If you get it right, it will cover both switches once dropped. As with puzzle four, you don’t want to move the sign, as it will improperly resize it.

On a correct drop, it should fall over while activating both switches.

Resized Lock Sign Solution

Ignore the switch and the door, as they aren’t real. Instead, go to the left wall and pick up the cheese wedge through the slats. Do the size increase trick and keep dropping the cheese in front of the slats you picked it up through. You will eventually get the right drop that will knock them down.

Now follow the exit signs until you fall through the floor.

Path to Chapter 1 End

Subliminal Chapter 2 Puzzles

Chapter 2 First Puzzle Room

After going through some linear hallways, you’ll end up in this square room that doesn’t seem to lead anywhere. You’ll want to remove the exit signs are do the trick with the two switches to make a ramp. You’ll want this ramp to lead over the wall in front of the scissor lift.

Exit Sign Ramp Solution

This puzzle will feature the start of a new mechanic where you’ll have to solve an optical illusion to get the object you need to continue on.

Go into the room on the right and line up the checkered pattern into a cube you can use to exit. Don’t worry about having to line it up perfectly; the game will automatically shift you into the right position when you get close enough.

First Optical Illusion Cube

After going through the doorway, you’ll be in the next part.

Second Hallway for Puzzle 2

Don’t worry about picking up the cube you just used. Once again, go to the right door to get another cube through a similar optical illusion.

First, line up this table and flower vase on the wall to complete the cube optical illusion.

Vase Optical Illusion

With that table now real, you can create the checkered cube.

Second Optical Illusion Cube

However, this isn’t just a cube. If you rotate it, you will see it hides a set of stairs to get you out.

Hidden Cube Starcase

Unlike cubes that take a little work to jump onto, the stairs provide a perfect way up.

Cube Stairs to Door

Once through the doorway, pick up the stairs and bring it in with you. Set them up on the left side of the area.

Cube Staircase to Edge

Now you just need to line up the bit on this pillar with the stretched-out exit door on the floor to make it real. Now pick up the door to reveal the actual exit.

Exit Door Optical Illusion

Your first move is to use that green pipe to release the checkered box.

Green Pipe Optical Illusion Cube

Use the checkered box to get up on the ledge, and then go around to the yellow platform and line up the pipe to make this King real.

King Chess Piece Optical Illusion

Removing the King will reveal a hole in the wall for you to leave. The other doorway up in the wall was a red herring that only leads to a nook that awards players with the Please Use Other Door trophy/achievement.

Glass Roof Puzzle

Make your way to the open windows and move in a way that lets you grab the moon through one of them. The moon is unique because it doesn’t fall to the floor when released.

Moon Through Skylight

You’ll want to position it somewhere at eye level and make it large enough to get to the objects on it. The only object that matters is this square you can see through, as it is the exit.

Moon Objects

It doesn’t matter where you put it, as all that matters is that it is big enough that you can fit through it.

Exit Object

Superliminal Chapter 3 Puzzles

Die in Room on the Right

Collect the die inside the room on the right and use it to get up on the ledge straight ahead. Make sure to pick it back up and continue ahead with it.

Use it again on the doorway ahead, as the die on the left is a trick, and you can only pick up half at a time.

Previous Die Resused

Pick up this die around the corner ahead to reveal the hole underneath.

Die Hiding Floor Hole

Drop down the hole and remove the grate to continue into the next puzzle.

Pointles Dice

There’s no need to move anything as you can jump onto these dice and easily reach the ledge.

Fake Dice and Pointless Room

The dice ahead are fake, and there’s nothing to do here. Just go up the stairs and into the next puzzle.

Tricky Movement Dice

We’re onto a new mechanic, so you can’t pick anything up. Instead, you can only move certain objects horizontally or vertically.

Drop the three-pip die into the floor and drag the six-pip to the opposite wall to jump up onto the ledge and out.

Sliding Dice Solution

Grabbing either die will cause them to fall apart, so use one of the flat panels to make a ramp and exit.

Dice Panel Ramp

You can pick up that die normally, but it will break into a mess of smaller cubes when you drop it. You should be able to climb onto the pile and jump up onto the ledge without moving any of them around.

Die Piece Pile

The big die ahead isn’t real. Only the front will be removed when you pick it up, showing you the exit you’ll have to fall through.

Die Hiding Passageway

You’ll land in an area that looks just like the first puzzle of this chapter. Your only option is to turn around and go through the open door and into the elevator that will end this chapter.

Doorway Leading to Elevator

Superliminal Chapter 4 Puzzles

First Dark Puzzle

Don’t be fooled by the darkness. Move directly to your right from here, and you’ll see a door ahead. Go through this door, and the entrance to the next puzzle will be on your left.

Correct Door to Exit

There’s a huge hole in the floor after the doorway to your right, but there is a path to get you across. Check the left side of the hole while looking down to determine where this path begins.

Gap Walkway

You’ll need to follow it to get to the other side. It may not look like it, but once you reach the end of the path, you can jump to safety.

Pitch Black Puzzle

Darkness plays a big factor, and you’ll need to walk to the back of this area to figure this one out. Once you’re firmly in the dark area, turn around and keep your eyes on the door you came through. Use this to identify the objects that would otherwise blend in. Keep moving backward until you are in front of this arrow.

Helpful Arrow

Now move directly right without turning to find a set of stairs. Follow them up and around the catwalk to head into the next puzzle.

Hidden Staircase

Move ahead through the plastic curtain and into the red-lit area. You can pick up the red exit sign on the other side of the boarded-up doorway.

Detachable Red Exit Sign

Take it back to the first area and make it a little bigger to give you more light. You can use it like a flashlight to navigate the previously pitch-black area to the left of the puzzle entrance.

Using Red Exit Sign as Flashlight

From here, it’s just a linear path through boxes that there’s no hope of getting through without the light.

Hallway Leading to Exit Sign

As with the previous puzzle, you’ll want to take the red exit sign off the wall ahead. Now make it larger and drop it, allowing you to see this previously hidden doorway on the back wall.

Red Light Revealing Exit

Follow the linear corridor to this IDEA generator that will turn on the lights when you try to pick it up.

IDEA Generator

There’s nothing else to do here, so walk through the double doors in the back and head to the elevator that ends the chapter.

Double Doors Leading to Elevator

Superliminal Chapter 5 Puzzles

Detachable Green Door

Take off the green door ahead and bring it with you as you follow the corridor into this room with a door and a switch.

Now place the door onto the switch and head into the next puzzle.

Green Door Used on Switch

Go down this hallway and turn right to arrive at the green door.

Cloning Green Door

The gimmick here is that the door will spawn infinitely smaller doors when you click on it, so press the pick-up button on it many times until you can use all the doors as a ramp to get over the wall and exit the puzzle.

If you spend a little more time cloning the door, you will eventually get the Why Are You Like This? trophy/achievement.

Cloned Door Ramp

The alarm clocks will infinitely spawn not only from the source but also from every new one spawned. From where you are standing, make a decent stack that reaches just under the exit.

Alarm Clock Stack

Now keep hitting the pick-up button on the topmost alarm clock to create a pile below that you can climb up and get out.

Climbable Alarm Clock Pile

Trying to pick up the apple on the switch will make you pick up a clone. You want to grab a clone and then make it huge. Now drop it on the original apple; it should knock it off the switch and open the door.

Huge Apple Knocking Smaller Apple off Switch

Before exiting this puzzle, be sure to drop one of the apples onto your head for the Son of Man trophy/achievement.

Cloning Apple and Fan

There is a switch at the top of the stairs that you’ll need to place an apple onto, but cloning only creates apples that you can’t pick up, and making a trail gets them blown away by the fan.

Stand behind the switch and press pick up on the original apple to solve this by making a clone will appear perfectly on the switch.

Easy Apple Clone Solution

Follow the entrance to this open area. You can clone the Somnasculpt sign, so click on it from right under the ledge to create a pile of clones to climb up, just like the alarm clocks a couple of puzzles ago.

Correct Sign Cloning Position

Once you’re up on the ledge, if the signs are blocking the path, just hit the return button on the original sign to remove all clones (the left shoulder button on consoles and the right mouse button on PC).

Exit Covered by Signs

Just follow the pathway from here to the chapter-ending elevator.

Hallway to Elevator

Superliminal Chapter 6 Puzzles

House on Table

This puzzle starts with a drop into a room with just a house on a table. You need to pick up the house and make it big enough to walk into but not too big that you can’t jump onto the ledge inside.

Correctly-Sized House

After following the path through the house, you will exit from a different side. Now you’ll want to make the house as big as possible to get through the exit.

Larger House for Exit

This massive Jenga tower and a fan are in the middle of this room. You’ll need to pick up the fan and move it around the tower to collapse it and drop the exit at the very top to where you can reach it.

Simply make the fan massive, and the tower won’t stand a chance.

Massive Fan

You’ll be in this bare room, but you can pick up the first window to the left of the door. Make it massive so you can jump through, as there isn’t any glass. You’ll be tiny once on the other side and then work your way around to the exit.

Properly-Sized Window

Walk down the corridor of lockers until you reach this empty pool with the inflatable castle sitting in it. As you might expect, make it bigger until you can fit through the door.

Larger Castle in Pool

Heading inside will lead to an AC vent with a fan you aren’t supposed to be able to fit through. Instead, look through the fan and pick up the castle that’s visible in the pool below.

You want to make the castle small in the vent before placing it onto the diving board across from the vent. This will let you leave the castle in front of the puzzle exit.

Small Castle in Vent

You’ll be in a green room with these two doorways and the keyhole exit out of reach on a wall nearby. Both doorways serve as a portal to the other, so you’ll want to stack them with one facing away from the keyhole and the other facing into it.

Stacked Portals Solution

This one is extremely tricky and will likely take plenty of trial and error to place the portals properly.

You’ll come out of the keyhole onto a chessboard, and if you look over the edge and into the distance, there will be another house like the ones we have used previously.

House in Distance

Pick it up and set it in front of you at a decent size to let you access the chapter-ending elevator inside.

House Entrance Leading to Elevator

Superliminal Chapter 7 Puzzles

After a few linear sequences, you’ll be in the bedroom again, but the hallway leads to a dead end. You’ll want to take this picture of clouds off the wall and make it large enough to fit through.

Bedroom Panting

There’s not enough space to do the usual technique for making it larger, so you’ll have to pick it up and walk backward to make it grow.

Bedroom Painting Portal

Gravity is now entirely wonky, so you’ll wind up standing on the back wall of this room. You’ll want to pick up the door on the right side as it will create a new exit you can walk to and drop through once you pull the door away.

New Exit

Go through the tear in the painting and around the corner to get to the next puzzle.

Other Side of Ripped Painting

Don’t both with anything in this area. Your goal is this thin gap in the floor at the right wall from the entrance that you’ll drop down.

Wall Gap

That fall will take you into a normal room with a miniature curved staircase on the table. Pick it up and drop it anywhere from a medium height, as its purpose is to cause the floor to cave in.

At the bottom of the hole you fall into will be a fake elevator to take you to the next puzzle.

Fake Elevator

The trick here is to always look in the direction the arrow isn’t pointing before following it. If the arrow points right, look left around the corner before going right. Simply do this for a few cycles, and the game will drop you in front of the next puzzle.

Proper Path

Use the provided dice to climb up a level. Despite appearances, the water is solid, so you can climb up on it and walk across it with no problem.

Die Placed for Jumping in Solid Water Room

The die used to climb up here will disappear once you are up and reappear at the next level above you to be used again.

Second Level of Solid Water Room

You’ll find the puzzle exit through the castle door at the top of the back of the area.

Fake Queen Switch Puzzle

Don’t bother with the Queen piece here because it won’t do anything with the switch. Instead, go and stand on the switch, grab the Knight on the other side, and use it to keep the switch pressed.

Switch Weight Knight

This room isn’t real; pick up the die, and the scene will change entirely.

When in the white room, climb onto the platform using the die, and behind the bed will be the next part.

White Room with Bed

As with the previous section, the block doesn’t serve any purpose besides teleporting you once you pick it up and drop it.

Block Teleporter

You’ll be in a black-and-white hallway that leads to a room with an alarm clock on a desk, and interacting with it will take you to the next puzzle.

Alarm Clock Teleporter

This puzzle will have you surrounded by elevators without a proper direction you should head toward. Simply start moving, but keep an eye on the floor of the elevators until you eventually find an arrow.

Elevator Maze Arrow

Obey the arrows and follow where they point until you find another one, as they will lead you out.

Elevator Maze Exit

Now use the alarm clock on the table and walk into the fake elevator at the back of the room to head out into the next puzzle.

Fake Alarm Clock

Despite this area’s apparent size, you will quickly find the walls if you move in a single direction. Once you discover all four boundary walls in the area, a structure will appear in the middle with an alarm clock ringing inside. You will load into the next chapter once you turn the alarm clock off.

Center Structure

Superliminal Chapter 8 Puzzles

Shoping Building

Turn around from the bed and pick up the building from the strip mall model on the table, as it will be the only interactable object, so you can’t mistakenly grab something else. Drop it on the floor at a large enough size to loop through it once and open the looping doorway on the other side of the shutter door.

Now carry it into the back room under the open shutter and get read to push it through that looping doorway.

Shopping Building In Front of Portal

Pushing the small building through will create a cascading effect, like two mirrors facing each other.

Cascading Portal Effect

Just walk into this, and then you’ll automatically turn around as things start glitching out of existence.

Everything Glitching Out

You can’t do anything now except wait as everything goes white.

Distant Structure

After everything has gone white, you will reawaken with this oddly shaped object in the distance, and you should walk toward it. When you get closer, you’ll see it has a doorway, step into it and keep moving forward.

Structure Doorway

You will eventually fall through the floor and end up in front of this other doorway.

White and Black Doorway

Once you reach the white part, you will fall through and land in this new area with a black cube you can pick up. Picking it up and moving it out of the way will reveal the puzzle exit.

Box Hiding Exit

After a series of sections that have you following a straight path, you will end up in a square office-like room. Locate the box with the “not an exit” sign. The exit to the puzzle will be through that black rectangle on the opposite wall.

Puzzle Exit On the Other Side

After that, you’ll walk through another doorway that places you in this white room with a chessboard floor down the middle. To get outside, you’ll go through a large window in the back of this area and eventually come to a doorway you can’t reach.

A Window

Turn around at this point, and you’ll find that the window from before has turned into a box you can use to get into the doorway.

Window Turned Into a Box

Once you climb into the room and look through the window on the left, you’ll see an exit sign pointing into the distance. Follow the sign until you arrive at this light switch you’ll need to use, and everything will go black.

Huge Light Switch

You’ll start this puzzle facing a black wall, but if you turn to your left or right, you’ll see a handful of green exit signs pointing to a white staircase.

Fake White Staircase

The white staircase won’t be real, but you can walk through it to a white space with a black staircase you can climb.

Real Black Staircase

Follow the black path from the top of the staircase, and eventually, you’ll fall into a room with blue and red corners.

Room With Colored Corners

Instead of walking through any doorway, you’ll want to press into any white space on the wall and go through it.

White Space to Walk Through

You’ll find the actual exit on the other side of the wall with the red and blue corners.

Real Exit Outside

After more linear walking, you’ll come to this chessboard-like area. Walking on the squares will drop you and reset the area. The trick is that the squares are solid if they have one chess piece from the table on them.

Chess Pieces on Table

The way to do this is to put both chess pieces onto the middle white square.

First Part of Solution Technique

Now, take one off and put it on the square ahead.

Second Part of Puzzle Technique

Walk to the square with the piece you just moved and bring the piece you left behind onto this now solid square.

Final Part of Puzzle Technique

You can follow that pattern and easily get to the exit if you never pick up the only piece on a square.

Chessboard Puzzle Exit

As with the black and white spaces in the previous puzzle, the white doorway only becomes traversable if you place the block on the other side.

Block Placed to Make Doorway Usable

With the block allowing you to move through the doorway, go to the right of the new room and pick up the cheese wedge, but remember to place it on the other side of the door so you can return.

Cheese Wedge in the Corner

Now it’s just a matter of setting the cheese wedge up to be a ramp so that you can exit.

Cheese Wedge Ramp to Exit

There isn’t a gimmick for this section; you only have to fall through the platforms and reach the bottom.

Falling Puzzle Doorway

The door will lead into a hallway with kaleidoscope walls, but the floor is well-defined, so you can’t get lost. At the end will be a white doorway you can walk through, and once you do, turn around and pick up the cube that has appeared.

Kaleidoscope Hallway Exit

Moving it will reveal an exit sign pointing at a red hole that will transition you to the final chapter.

Final Exit

There aren’t any puzzles in chapter nine. Instead, the game will automatically take you back through rooms you’ve done as a wrap-up while the narrator summarizes your journey through the game.

This has been the full walkthrough through Superliminal , you should know have all the tools to make your next speedrun a complete success.

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ABOUT SUPERLIMINAL Superliminal is a first-person puzzle game based on forced perspective and optical illusions. Puzzles in this game give you a sense of the unexpected. Players need to change their perspective and think outside the box to wake up from the dream.

ABOUT THE WIKI Superliminal Wiki is a community that aims to document and preserve information on Superliminal, a 2019 puzzle game made by Pillow Castle. Please beware that some information on this wiki contains spoiler information . However, you can rest assured as these information are hidden by default and can be expanded if you wish.

This wiki was originally founded by Minemaker0430 on 1 January 2020. After the wiki had become dormant for more than a year, this wiki was later adopted by SimpleXtra on 17 February 2022.

We are a collaborative community website that anyone, including you, can build and expand. Due to this nature, some information on this wiki may not be 100% accurate. However, the wiki staff will always keep an eye and can reverse edits that are made in bad faith. You can also file a report by leaving a message to an Admin !

Keep in mind that this is an unofficial wiki , which means that it is maintained by the players. We are NOT affiliated with Pillow Castle or any of its members. Any inquiries, reports, and others should be directed to them.

Feel free to contribute to this wiki! You can immediately start editing by clicking the Add new page or EDIT button. Alternatively, head out to our Community page to read more about our to-do list. Any contributions will be greatly appreciated!

NOTE: We are currently still looking for active editors for this wiki. If you are reading this, please consider expanding this wiki as much as you can!

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superliminal time travel

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superliminal time travel

Key Takeaways

  • If unrestricted time travel were possible, it would lead to a complete breakdown of the rational order of things.
  • The ability to travel to both the past and future would upend our understanding of time.
  • Stephen Hawking's "chronology protection hypothesis" suggests there might be natural laws preventing unrestricted time travel.

Science fiction has thoroughly covered the topic of time travel, starting with H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine" in 1895 and continuing right up to modern movies like " Déjà Vu " starring Denzel Washington. But physicists have also explored the nature of time and the plausibility of time travel for more than century, beginning with Albert Einstein's theories of relativity. Thanks to Einstein, scientists know that time slows as moving objects approach the speed of light. Gravity also slows time. This means that, in one sense, all of us can already consider ourselves time travelers in a limited way because we experience a tiny time warp (a difference of only nanoseconds) when we, for example, take a flight on an airplane. But physicists who study time travel today search for plausible ways to create a time warp large enough to allow noticeable travel into the past or future.

In his book "How to Build a Time Machine," physicist Paul Davies writes, "The theory of relativity implies that a limited form of time travel is certainly possible, while unrestricted time travel -- to any epoch, past or future -- might just be possible, too." This astonishing statement begs an important question: If time travel did indeed become a reality, how would it affect our world as we currently experience it?

First, it's important to realize that building a time machine would likely involve enormous expense, and the sheer complexity of such an apparatus would mean only a limited group of time travelers would have access to it. But even a small group of "astronauts" traveling through time and space could conceivably have a tremendous impact on life as we know it today. The possibilities, in fact, seem almost infinite.

Let's begin by assuming that it's possible to create a complete loop in time travel -- that time travelers could travel back into the past and then return to the future (or vice versa). Although scientists view traveling to the future as a much less problematic proposition than traveling to the past, our daily lives wouldn't change much if we could only send time travelers backward or forward in time, unable to recall them to the present. If we could, in fact, complete this loop of time travel, we can conjure up an incredible array of possible effects.

Possibilities and Paradoxes of Time Travel

Time travel turned total mayhem.

Imagine sending a time traveling astronaut 100 years into the future. The time traveler could witness technological advancements that we can only dream of today, much as people at the turn of the 20th century likely couldn't imagine the items we take for granted in 2010, such as iPods or laptop computers. The time traveler could also gain insight into medical advancements, such as new medicines, treatments and surgical techniques. If the time traveler could bring this knowledge backward in time to the present, the time from which he or she came, society could effectively leap forward in terms of its technical and scientific knowledge.

The futuristic time traveler could also bring back knowledge of what lay ahead for the world. He or she could warn of natural disasters, geopolitical conflicts, epidemics and other events of worldwide importance. This knowledge could potentially change the very way we operate. For example, what if a time traveler journeyed into the future and literally saw the effects that automobiles would eventually have on our planet? What if the time traveler witnessed an environment so polluted and damaged that it's unrecognizable? How might that change our willingness to use alternative forms of transportation?

Imagine that time travel became less restricted and more available to a larger population. Perhaps travel into the future would be exploited for personal gain. A futuristic time traveler could draw on knowledge of the stock market to guide his or her investment decisions, effectively using the granddaddy of all insider information to amass a fortune. Militaries might rely on time travel to gain valuable knowledge about the enemy's positioning and resources in future battles. Terrorists could use time travel to scout out the scenes of future attacks, allowing them to carefully plan with precise knowledge of future conditions.

The potential effects seem equally limitless in terms of the less likely possibility of time travel into the past. History books would no longer be based solely on exhaustive research and interpretation of ancient materials. Time travelers could resolve historical debates and verify how things did or didn't happen in the past. Imagine how different our understanding of the world might be if we could say definitively, for example, whether Moses actually parted the Red Sea or whether Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in killing John F. Kennedy. A journey into the past could prove or disprove religious beliefs or result in face-to-face encounters with people such as Jesus, Buddha, Napoleon or Cleopatra -- or even the time traveler's former self. Perhaps time travelers could even bring back from the past things that had been lost, such as extinct species or dead and long-forgotten languages.

But here it's very important to raise the issue of self-consistent narratives and paradoxes. The concept of self-consistent narratives tells us that anything a time traveler would alter or affect in the past would have to remain consistent with the future from which he or she journeyed. Changing the past would effectively change the future, creating a causal loop. But such causal loops would only pose inherent problems if changes to the past resulted in a future different from the one the time traveler came from.

But perhaps the question of how time travel would affect life as we know it goes deeper than even a discussion of potential paradoxes and causal loops. Perhaps a discussion of specific effects of consequences on life as we know it makes little sense when faced with something that could change everything about the way in which we perceive our world.

Physicist Paul Davies gives a good example of a consistent causal loop in his book "How to Build a Time Machine." A mathematics professor uses a time machine to travel forward in time, where he discovers a new theorem. He returns back to the time he came from and gives one of his particularly gifted students the idea for that theorem. The student goes on to publish the theorem, and it turns out that it was this very student's work that the professor perused during his journey to the future. The narrative here is consistent.

On the other hand, with the grandfather paradox, a time traveler goes back in time and kills his grandfather. But if the time traveler's grandfather dies before the time traveler is born, how can he or she exist at all? And if the time traveler doesn't exist, how could he or she travel back in time to kill granddad?

As physicist Paul Davies describes it, unrestricted time travel -- meaning time travel that could form a complete loop to both the past and future -- would ultimately lead to total mayhem. In his words, "Time travel opens a view of the world that is a sort of madhouse where the rational order of things would no longer work. Under those circumstances, it's very hard to see how ordinary human life could continue."

In a world where the relationship between past, present and future is turned on its head, we would transcend the things that define our lives today. We would lose our notion of how time works, which could be so fundamentally damaging to our worldview that we would no longer care as much about the things that matter to us today: work, finances, making plans with friends and family, shopping -- you name it. These things just wouldn't be relevant in this crazy new world because we'd have a newfound preoccupation with simply making sense of a world without a set chronology -- we wouldn't know the order in which things occur.

It may be beside the point, then, to talk about resolving historical debates, saving endangered species or gaining technological, financial or military insight because those things might very likely fall by the wayside in the strange world that would follow the advent of unrestricted time travel.

As Davies makes clear, none of this fallout would occur from one-way travel. Hitching a one-way ride to the future or even the past (assuming we stick with self-consistent narratives) wouldn't cause this kind of profound reordering of the world as we currently experience it. But closing that loop of travel could be, in a word, disastrous.

Davies points out that science fiction normally focuses on the novelty aspect of time travel. But according to him, "It's not a novelty or a curiosity, it's something that strikes at the very rational basis of how we live and function. It's really hard to imagine that anything could be the same again." In his view, unrestricted time travel could change life as we know it so dramatically that we wouldn't even recognize it. Because chronology would have no meaning, we couldn't easily tell if something happened before or after, was a cause or an effect, and we would lose the ability to predict rationally the outcomes of our actions. In essence, it would be as though we had all gone insane.

These sobering potential effects of time travel have caused some scientists to wonder whether a principle exists in nature that would actually prevent unrestricted time travel, such as Stephen Hawking's "chronology protection hypothesis." This type of "theory of everything" might provide a scientific explanation as to why we could never unhinge the universe as we know it by making unrestricted time travel a reality. Scientists have yet to discover such a theory, but hearing Davies' take on the frightening effects of time travel makes one hope that they find it soon -- even if it means that we won't ever know for sure who killed JFK.

Frequently Asked Questions

How could time travel impact our understanding of history, what are the ethical implications of time travel, lots more information, related articles.

  • What is the fourth dimension?
  • What does the fourth dimension have to do with time travel?
  • Does gravity distort space-time?
  • Are there other universes like ours out there?
  • Does time change speed?
  • How Special Relativity Works
  • How Time Travel Will Work
  • Theory of Relativity

More Great Links

  • NOVA Online: Time Travel
  • Paul Davies' Web site
  • ABC Science Online. "The Big Questions: The Riddle of Time." Jan. 17, 2002. (Oct. 7, 2010) http://www.abc.net.au/science/bigquestions/s460740.htm
  • Davies, Paul. "How to Build a Time Machine." Penguin Books. 2002.
  • Davies, Paul. Personal interview. Oct. 13, 2010.
  • PBS Nova. "Sagan on Time Travel." October 1999. (Oct. 7, 2010) http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/time/sagan.html
  • Pickover, Clifford. "Time: a traveler's guide." Oxford University Press. 1999.

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superliminal time travel

More From Forbes

Review: ‘superliminal’ is the cleverest game going–but it’s only a start.

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After a few months on PC, Superliminal is now available on consoles.

Albert Shih, the creator of Superliminal , must have known he was onto a winner when he conceived the game back in 2013. Now, after seven years of development and countless, well-received demonstrations across a vast array of websites and social media, it’s finally arrived on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.

It’s understandable why Superliminal ’s pre-release user feedback was so overwhelmingly positive: ideas as clever as this can’t (and shouldn’t) be kept under wraps. This high-concept game thrives on just two or three core mechanics that use optical illusions and forced perspective; its world has already become identifiable, not least due to its now-talismanic chess pieces.

They say that good things come to those who wait, and my expectations for Superliminal were very high indeed. Yet while Superliminal is an experience every gamer should try, it only feels like the beginning of something truly great. The game introduces and develops amazing ideas, but this outing doesn’t push its own boundaries in the same way that contemporaries, such as the inevitably compared Portal and Antichamber , did all those years ago.

An understated dreamworld

If the plot of Superliminal has passed you by, it’s surprisingly straightforward, given how complex the game’s mechanics are. Your character falls asleep at 3am with the TV on, shortly after seeing a commercial for Dr Pierce’s “Somnasculpt” dream therapy program. You wake up and bam, you’re in a deep dream state and you’re undergoing the initial stages of his experimental treatment. 

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From there, it’s all about waking back up. To do that, you need to traverse seemingly inescapable rooms. Chief among your skills is the ability to resize objects using forced perspective; picking something up from the floor close to your character, then lifting it up, will align it elsewhere in the room, making it appear bigger. Drop it, and that’s its new size and placement. This mechanic is incredibly well developed: it’s fun and intuitive, but the game still gives space for you to experiment.

Superliminal's flagship forced perspective element is superbly executed.

In its first half, the game has a consistent habit of stumping you, especially when it introduces a new ability to play with. You’ll find an odd pattern, which when lined up, creates a new object or path; in another area, items endlessly duplicate, adding a surprisingly well-executed idea that incorporates a genuine level of humor.

This comedy is one of Superliminal ’s key strengths. Corridors may look navigable until you get closer, when you realize you’ve been duped by anamorphosis ; puzzles are regularly ridiculous to the point of laughter; even the loading screens raise a smile in a way that the story, and the narration, never quite achieve. 

Superliminal also has the honor of creating one of the most atmospheric “horror” sections I’ve enjoyed in a game for a long time: one that played out in a way I simply never expected, but one that’s testament to Shih’s carefully curated universe. You’re always expecting the unexpected.

Running out of steam

Sadly, for all its highs, Superliminal seems to lose its way in its second half. It’s a simple case of pacing: while the puzzles are often clever, they’re not as plentiful, nor do they push the established mechanics further than those opening stages did. The game is comprised of thematic sections, but it seems to play its trump cards immediately, as if out of excitement.

Chief among Superliminal ’s issues is that it underplays its story in the first half of the game, and even when it explains the world around you, it’s at the wrong points of gameplay, when you’re engrossed in its clever puzzles. To counteract this, the final third of Superliminal trades the element of challenge for artistic merit to pick up those loose ends.

While still clever and fun, the latter stages of the game feel at odds with what came before.

As a result of this shift to narrative, I found myself solving a couple of later puzzles by sheer accident, robbing me of the real satisfaction those early moments of genius provided. The ending then appears out of nowhere, and while it’s nicely done, it still leaves too many questions unanswered.

Superliminal is clever, funny, challenging, and unique, but only to a degree. Once this two-to-three-hour experience is finished, you’ll probably want a little more of everything. Hopefully, this is because Shih is developing a follow-up, because if any game deserves a sequel to really build on an original and exciting universe, it’s this. 

Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of Superliminal in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Matt Gardner

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Superliminal walkthrough guide

Image of Hristina Matić

If you're tired of just walking through liminal space and you need some puzzles, too, Superliminal delivers. Check out this Superliminal walkthrough and a full guide to escape these colorful walls.

How to beat Superliminal - Walkthrough

You're stuck in a room with no exit . Sign the Terms of Service without reading them because who even reads those? Then, head through the doors that show up behind you.

The rook piece might look huge, but you can pick it up and move it out of the way. Jump across the boxes and into the first puzzle. The easiest way to enlarge objects is by looking up at the ceiling and dropping it. The easiest way to shrink objects is by walking as close to a wall as possible and dropping it.

There are five possible collectibles in each level. You can collect fire alarms, fire extinguishers, blueprints, and glowing chess pieces.

Related: Slender The Arrival Walkthrough

Level 1 - Induction

We are starting off easy with the Induction level as we get used to manipulating perception to resize objects. There is one fire alarm, fire extinguisher, secret chess piece, and blueprint in the Induction Level of Superliminal.

Stairs Puzzle

A hidden passage is in the first room's top right corner .

  • Grab the top block and resize it to use as a step.
  • Pick up the box that teaches you how to rotate objects and, without resizing it, use it as the last step.
  • Jump up the makeshift stairs and go to the next room.

superliminal time travel

Button Puzzle

The door opens when you are standing on the button. The room behind the closed door has a block you can use.

  • Stand on the button and grab the block through the open door .
  • Place it on the button.
  • Go through the door and grab the block again.
  • Enlarge it and place it underneath the door to climb through.

Two Windows Puzzle

The next room has two windows.

  • Grab the chest piece through the left window.
  • Put it on the button through the right window to open the door.

Keep an eye on the shadow of the piece to see where exactly you are placing it.

Cheese Puzzle

You sadly can't eat the cheese. You can, however, use it as a ramp to reach the doorway up on the opposite wall to the desk.

Giant Block Puzzle

There are two secrets in this room you can find. First, a huge block is blocking a secret door. Pick it up and put it off to the side for now. Take off all of the planks from the door and make your way through.

superliminal time travel

You'll see a vending machine. To get the achievement 'Soda Conaisseur,' you need to buy each of the drinks from the machines once. That means you need to buy seven sodas, but there are more than seven vending machines in the game. Just keep track of what you are getting.

Buy a can, lift it to the ceiling, and drop it. This will make it explode, giving you the achievement 'Sugar Crash.' Once you're done, go back to the room to find the second secret, a chess piece.

Enlarge a plank and use it as a ramp on the wall to the right. The blue chess piece will be on the top. Once you click on it, it will disappear. Collecting secret chess pieces gives you the 'Chess Master' achievement.

When you have all of the secrets from the locations in the image above, shrink the block and put it on the button next to the door.

Related: Lost Lands 3 Full Walkthrough

Broken Window Puzzle

In the next room, you will see a broken window and a button below through another broken window. Grab the cube from the left, shrink it, and place it on the button.

No Objects Puzzle

Since the block can't pass through the door, it will have to go over the wall . Lift it up in the corner and watch the shadows. Drop the cube when you see the shadow is more on the other side of the wall. Then place it on the button.

Exit Sign Puzzle

Keep walking until you reach a room with two buttons. Grab the exit sign from above the door and keep enlarging it until it sits on both buttons to open two doors.

superliminal time travel

Walls Puzzle

Once you enter the last room of this level in Superliminal, head to the left to a hole in the wall. You will see a piece of cheese and the exit sign, so grab one of them. You need to enlarge your chosen item and lean it against the walls to break it down and pass through.

You will come across a fire extinguisher, which you should interact with until it is empty. Then, pull the fire alarm to get the ' Fire Alarmist' achievement.

Before you jump into the pit, grab the sign to make yourself a ramp and jump across. Go through the door and behind the blue wall, where you will find a blueprint . Then, go back and jump into the pit.

superliminal time travel

Level 2 - Optical

If you enjoy optical illusions, you are going to enjoy this level. There are x fire alarms, x extinguishers, x blueprints, x chess pieces, and a constellation in the Optical level of Superliminal. Leave your room and go down the hall until you reach the receptionist's desk. Click on the fire extinguisher and fire alarm on the left first. Then, head over to the vending machine in the next room.

Grab a can and place it in the trash can to get the 'Please Recycle' achievement . If you place a can in the recycling bin, you will get the 'Environment Saved!' achievement . Head out of the room and put the can in the round bin in the hallway, getting the 'Take Your Trash Elsewhere' achievement .

So Many Hallways Puzzle

In the dead-end hallway to the right, you will find one fire extinguisher and a fire alarm across from each other. The next two are right before the exit door. Grab them and then remove the door .

A fire alarm will be on the left wall as soon as you go through. Head down the right path and grab another fire extinguisher and alarm. Then, head through the door next to the extinguisher, as this is the real exit . Grab the fire alarm that's to the right of the door.

Related: The Squire’s Tale – Walkthrough Guide

No Way Forward Room

You will get to a square room with many exit signs but no real exit. Once you enter, there is one file alarm and one fire extinguisher on each side of the door. Grab one of the exit signs and use it as a ramp to get over the far wall. Don't forget to interact with the fire extinguisher on said wall once you go over it. Then, head down the dark hallway to the right to grab a blueprint.

superliminal time travel

Climb up the boxes and go through the red carpet room. Pull another fire alarm in between the doors. Go through either door, then turn back and use the fire extinguisher. Head down and go to a room with a speaker's podium.

Checkered Cubes

In this room, you will have one fire alarm and one fire extinguisher to grab. Then, move around to combine the checkered pattern into a cube . You can use the cube as a platform in the previous hallway. Climb up and pull the fire alarm to the left of the door.

superliminal time travel

There is another checkered cube in the following room, but a piece of it is missing. First, grab the alarm and extinguisher. Then, go further into the room to the back wall and look back out through the door.

  • Align the table with the two lines on the outside walls, and a table will appear with a flower vase.
  • Use the flower vase as the missing piece for the checkered cube to make it appear.
  • Grab it and use the shelves on it to climb up the platform.

Exit Room on the Floor

Pull the fire alarm to get the collectible and use the extinguisher. You'll see a distorted exit door on the floor in the next room.

  • Pick up the shelves cube and climb the second floor to the left
  • Align the door on the floor to the parts of it on the pillar .
  • Remove the door and exit.

Bring the door with you and use it to get to the top of the wooden wall in the middle of the room. You'll find a red chess piece there.

superliminal time travel

Now, you'll go behind the yellow stairs and towards the light. You aren't dead, just asleep, and in this secret room, you'll get to enjoy a starry sky.

  • Go to the middle of the room and look up.
  • Shuffle around until the stars form a table .
  • Click on it and get the collectible.

Cube, Dice, and Chess Piece

Now, you can climb up the stairs to the next room.

  • Look up and see the checkered cube you need to align.
  • Use it to climb to the second floor.
  • Look at the green paint from the yellow ledge until you match it up and make a chess piece .
  • Remove it to reveal an opening in the wall.

Before going through the opening, let's collect other things in this room. Use the cube and the chess piece to climb through the upper door. Pull the fire alarm first and then press on the fire extinguisher. Pick up the red dice to get the 'Please use the other door' achievement.

superliminal time travel

Go back into the big room. Use the red dice, cube, and chess piece to climb on top of the vents . And make sure it's the vents and not on the pipe, as you can't make that big of a leap (I found that out from experience). Pick up the glowing chess piece from the corner and jump down to go through the hole.

Keep going until you reach another red room. The extinguisher is right next to the door you got through, and the fire alarm is next to the opposite door. Two fire alarms are almost hidden behind two armchairs in the next room, and an extinguisher is next to the exit door.

Related: Darkness and Flame 2 Walkthrough

Cheese Moon

Grab the moon through the open glass ceiling and enlarge it. It will hold a radio, a toy block, a can of soda, a slice of cheese, and the exit door.

  • Put the exit door in its missing place
  • Grab the cheese .
  • Enlarge it to climb up through the window and grab a blueprint on the roof.
  • You can also use the moon as an additional support when climbing like I had to.

superliminal time travel

Jump back down and go through the exit. Click on the fire alarm and fire extinguisher in the elevator hallway to get all of the collectibles on this level.

Level 3 - Cubism

If you wanted more cubes, then you got them. Head out of the room and down the hall. Pass through the reception room again and grab the next soda can on the list. You'll need to click on the fire alarm and the fire extinguisher, too, as this is the next level.

Pipe Room Starry Sky

superliminal time travel

Head down until you reach a room with large green pipes. Turn to the right, and a hidden passage in the darkness will be next to the door. Go inside and reach another starry sky. This time, you will match the stars into a mug when you place yourself like in the image above. Return to the pipe room and head to the next one.

A fire alarm is on the left as soon as you pass through the door. Go to the room with beige walls to the right, pick up a cube, and climb up the wall. There is one more fire extinguisher before the blue door.

Once inside, there is an alarm next to the door. Get it, and then grab the cube from the left . It will break into two pieces. Use them as steps to reach the vent and the chess piece. Then, head up through the door.

superliminal time travel

Blue Hallway

In the next hallway, you will find a dice on the floor. Ignore it for now and continue down the hall. Grab the extinguisher and the alarm at the end. You can't go through the tape, so go back to the dice and pick it up to see a hole. Jump down into a new area.

Take off the grate and bring it with you into the next room. Lean it against the wall, climb it, and grab a glowing chess piece from the AC. Then, jump down and grab the next soda.

superliminal time travel

Once you go through the door on the left, there's a fire extinguisher. Climb the weird cubes to get to the painted cubes room. On the wall, you'll find another fire alarm. Go up the stairs and to the right. You'll find another alarm and extinguisher next to each other.

Related: Echo Bay Murders – Chapter 1 Walkthrough

Cube Platformer

In the new room, we can't carry around and use dice, we only move them as platforms . Slide the dice and the vent like in the image below to get to the blueprint. When jumping, aim more towards the wall to make it easier to reach that last platform.

superliminal time travel

Once you are done, push the platform that was going up back into the floor. Then, drag the cube from the wall all the way to the opposite wall. Use it to jump up to the door. Don't forget to grab the fire extinguisher.

Dice Puzzle

You'll find a fire extinguisher in the room with the two dice. Once you try to pick them up, the dice will fall apart. Use one of the sides as a ramp to climb up to the door. Click on the alarm next to the door and the extinguisher on the other side of the wall.

Then, pick up the big dice in the following room to climb. It will explode into many smaller dice, but you can still climb them. Pick up the extinguisher on the wall once you climb up.

superliminal time travel

Now, you reach an even bigger dice. You can only grab the side with the five apples . Take that side with you and jump down into the cube. Use it as a ramp to the higher floor to pick up a fire extinguisher and a blueprint, then pick up the fire alarm on your way out. Collect the extinguisher and alarm in the hallway and go to the elevator.

Level 4 - Blackout

Do the same as in the previous levels and pick up the alarm, extinguisher, and soda from the vending machine. Before leaving the room, go to one of the filing cabinets and see a constellation. This time, you'll find a cheese in the stars .

superliminal time travel

Once you reach the big corridor, the lights will start flickering. You need to be quick and grab all eight fire extinguishers next to each of the doors. You'll have to reset the checkpoint a few times, which is a bit annoying but less annoying than trying to guess where they are in the dark. Once you have them all, go through the door on the right.

Secret Corridor

You'll go through quite a few rooms without anything to do. Honestly, I preferred that to the blood smears you'll come across on the floor. Move the canisters to jump across and keep going until you reach a dead end.

  • Turn around and step out of the room.
  • Strife to the left until you see another corridor
  • Go left towards the DIE boxes. I don't feel threatened at all.

superliminal time travel

Related: How to beat Big Ice Tower Tiny Square – Walkthrough

Walking in the Darkness

Ignore the door that closed in front of you and follow the blood trail to the extinguisher on the left side of the double doors. Ignoring the giant pit with blood on the walls is a little more difficult. Strife to the left of the edge until you find planks . Go down the left path to safely get across.

You'll walk around without puzzles for a while but with increasing fear. Once you get into a room, walk into the darkness backward. You will see an arrow pointing at the staircase you need to climb.

superliminal time travel

Exit Sign Lights the Way

Click on an extinguisher in the next hallway. Then, head to the glowing red room. Through the next door, you can see an exit sign .

  • Grab it and head back to light your way. In the darkness
  • Go down the now-lit hallway to the right.
  • Cross through the boxes.

There's another chess piece on top of the boxes. Use the sign to get to it, as you can see in the image below.

superliminal time travel

Enlarge the exit sign in the next room to light up an exit above the boxes in the glass room. Don't pick up a knife, as this isn't that kind of game, and follow the blood trail. Click on the fire extinguisher before going to the storage room. Go past the shelves to turn on the generator.

Can of Beans

With the lights on, it's somehow so much worse, but sadly, you can't turn the generator back off.

  • First, grab a can of beans from the kitchen to the righ t.
  • Head back to the shelves on the left and use the beans to jump across.
  • Don't forget to pick the can once you are at the top, or you won't be able to get back.
  • Pick up the blueprint from the floor.
  • Use the can to get across the shelves on the other side.
  • Go to the window closest to the kitchen and climb up.
  • Find a chess piece on the ledge.
  • Then, head back to the dining room.

You don't need the can of beans anymore, but I'll take it with me as comfort. Head through the opposite door towards the elevator. Remember to click on the alarm and the extinguisher before getting into the elevator.

Level 5 - Clone

All of those alarms waking you up is a bit of an overkill, but it introduces us to the clone mechanic. Leave the room and repeat the usual process: alarm, extinguisher, and vending machine. Then, head out into the hallway. Click on the extinguisher next to the green door. Go through the door and pick up another extinguisher around the corner. There is one more in the yellow room.

Locked Yellow Room

You can't pick up anything in the room, but you can bring things into the room . Go back, pick up the green door, and place it on the button. Go down the hall and to the left first.

Press on the alarm, and you'll see a bunch of handles spawning. Keep clicking until you get the 'Why Are You Like This ' achievement. You only need to press once to collect an item, though. The extinguisher is normal, but the door will also start cloning.

Related: The Witchling Walkthrough

Cloning Doors

superliminal time travel

Instead, head the other way to grab one more fire alarm and extinguisher. This green door will also keep cloning, but that works for you as you need a ramp to jump across the wall. Once you are over, you will head into a room with a blue wall. There are no blueprints on the back of it this time, but there is a fire alarm on the right wall.

Digital Alarm Clock

Head through the door and grab the fire alarm and extinguisher from either side of it. Now, since the digital alarm clocks get cloned , you can use them to create a ramp like I did below. You could probably do it more efficiently, however.

Before heading up, grab one clock to make a ramp to the vents in the previous room and reach a blue chess piece. Don't forget the alarm and extinguisher next to the exit door up the ramp in the other room.

superliminal time travel

Apple Clone

Head down the hallways and pull the alarm next to a door. Keep going until you get to the apple room. Once inside, there will be an extinguisher to the left. Pick up the apple and drop it on your head to get the 'Son of Man' achievement.

Drop the clone on the apple that's on the button to move it and unlock the door. I did this accidentally when hitting myself on the head and then placed the original apple back on the button. The mechanics have changed . Grab the fire alarm and head through the door.

You'll reach another apple room. There are two fire alarms and an extinguisher in this room, so roam around first to find them. Climb up the stairs and grab another fire alarm. Align the butto n to be right under the apple so it will spawn on the button once you clone it. This will unlock the door behind you.

superliminal time travel

There is an alarm and an extinguisher before entering the orange room. Grab those and then go to the left of the door to jump onto a platform in the dark. From there, jump onto the door and then onto the vents . You'll find a secret chess piece up here.

SomnaSculpt Sign

Go down the hallways and hit one fire extinguisher. Let's climb up first.

  • Clone the SomnaSculpt sign to climb up to the ledge.
  • Reset the signs and grab the fire alarm next to the door.
  • Grab the other one in the hallway beyond it.
  • A fire extinguisher will be to the right of the next door, and another will be around the corner.

superliminal time travel

You'll find another secret path to the star room to the left of the vending machine. Click on the vending machine in the stars and then go back out. Head to the purple hallway and click on two alarms and a fire extinguisher. Pick up the last fire alarm and extinguisher from the hallway before getting in the elevator.

Level 6 - Dollhouse

Level 6 of Superliminal has us waking up in the same room, but the path to the reception room is now closed. It could be something to do with all of that blood on the floors. Instead, we are heading to the Relaxation room . There's no way this room will be worse, we are here to relax.

Grab the fire extinguisher outside the doors to the home liminal theatre. There is a secret path to the starry night behind the exit doors to the right. This time, we'll find a chair . Unfortunately, we don't get to relax, as we are going to end up on the other side of the locked gate and back in the reception room. Grab the alarm and extinguisher, and brace yourself for some more blood.

superliminal time travel

Red Carpet Room

You'll head through the curtain and fall into a room with lots of blue chairs and a red carpet. You'll see a dollhouse on a table.

  • Enlarge the dollhouse and go inside.
  • Grab the fire extinguisher from the right as soon as you go in.
  • Jump up the platform and click on the alarm to the left.
  • You'll find another extinguisher and a fire alarm further into the house.

Go outside and enlarge the house more so that you can leave through the exit door and get to the radio room. Grab the fire extinguisher next to the door and a fire alarm on the wall to the right. Then, pick up another extinguisher next to the second radio.

Block Tower

Keep going until you reach a room with a big tower and an exit on the top. Make the fan next to the tower bigger to knock the blocks over. Then, go through the exit.

Related: The Visitor Walkthrough

Window Door

You'll get into a room with seemingly no working exit again. You can pick up the window to the left of the door and make it bigger. Once you do, you can go through one of the window panels. In this room, you'll find a fire alarm on the wall to the right and a blueprint on the boxes in the left corner. There is also a chess piece on top of the door you need to exit through.

superliminal time travel

Bouncy Castle

Go through the locker rooms until you find a bouncy castle . Pick it up and head to the door in between the two locker rooms. Climb up and pick up the blueprint. Then, head back to the pool with the bouncy castle in tow and make it bigger to go inside. Grab a fire extinguisher from the wall to the left of the entrance.

Go through the vent until you can see the pool. Pick up the castle and place it on the higher springboard . Then, go back and leave the castle. In the same room as before, you will find a fire extinguisher next to the door and the alarm to the right.

superliminal time travel

Shrink one of the doors and put it through the giant keyhole. Then, go through the other door to get out up top. Bring both doors with you. From your vantage point up top, enlarge one of the doors and put it on the floor. It might take a while to fall down, as everything is slower when you are tiny.

Go through the still small door . You'll get out bigger as the other door is bigger, too. There is a blueprint on the wall. Jump up to the trash can and then click on the blueprint that's on top of the clock.

Then, head to the dollhouse. On the inside is the usual hallway that leads to the elevator. Click on the fire alarm and extinguisher before heading in.

Level 7 - Labyrinth

On the seventh level of Superliminal, we are getting straight into the thick of it.

  • Get out and grab the fire extinguisher first.
  • Avoid the puddle of blood on the floor and click on another extinguisher and a fire alarm.
  • Grab a fire alarm next to the shelves.
  • There's another extinguisher through the door on the left.

We get back to the hallway leading towards the elevator. Grab the alarm and extinguisher before entering. It is closed, and you'll experience a reset back into the bedroom, except this time you are locked inside. Press the alarm clock , and the door will open.

You're now back at the reception. Don't forget the alarm and extinguisher. You can't progress as the game will teleport you back into the suite. Repeat the process. This loop will go on several times until you are back in the room for the last time. Click on the clock, and your controls will be flipped. Move around until you fall through the door.

superliminal time travel

You'll drop into the dining room. Don't click on the alarm clock just yet, as you will be reset back to the room. Grab the fire extinguisher first, and then you can head back. This time, there's a wall blocking the hallway.

Grab the sky painting from the room and take it into the hallway to enlarge before jumping into it. You'll bump into the sky wall, but there's an alarm on the wall behind you that you should grab. There's an extinguisher in the next room with the radio.

In the next hallway, there are two fire alarms. You'll loop into the same hallway, so just repeat the process of clicking all of the collectibles. Then, once you reach a new hallway, there's a fire extinguisher to the right of the door.

Sideways Rooms

Click on the extinguisher after falling, then throw yourself through the door . You'll find a fire extinguisher next to the double doors. Grab a door and use it as a ramp to get through the opening. In the blue room, there is another fire extinguisher and a chess piece behind the window.

superliminal time travel

Go back to the previous room , and you'll fall through a new hole in the wall. Pick up the alarm and extinguisher in the next hallway.

In the room with the painted cube, don't waste your time. You can't grab it. The stars aren't the way to go, either. I was trying for so long before accidentally falling into the crack at the edge and finding the real exit.

After falling, pick up the stairs from the table and drop them down onto the floor. You're not going up, however. The stairs will break the floor, and you will find the exit at the bottom. There's an alarm and an extinguisher on both sides of the door. Grab those and go into the elevator.

Related: Machinarium Walkthrough

The Hallway Maze

Turn around and exit through the other side of the elevator. Now, it's time to get out of a maze. The elevator will make a right or wrong noise depending on whether you made a good choice or not.

superliminal time travel

You need to follow the arrows above the doors, but there's a trick. You must look in the opposite direction to what the arrow tells you first. Only then can you look the correct way, and the elevator will confirm it.

After getting the turns all right, you'll get to the pool room.

  • Use the dice to make your way to the top.
  • Use the dice and a can from the vending machine to climb to the top of the scaffolding and grab a blueprint.
  • Click on the fire alarm in the room with the vending machine.
  • Grab the extinguisher in the room with the big chess piece.

Fake Chess Piece

The big chess piece will blend with the button when you place it on top of it. Instead, you have to stand on it and grab a different one from the other room . This one will keep the door open. These two aren't collectible, but there is one on the light in the next room. Jump onto the plant, climb the pipe, use the chess piece that's on the button to climb onto the lamp, and grab the chess piece.

superliminal time travel

Pick up the extinguisher before dropping into the hole at the end of the hallway.

  • Grab the extinguisher from the wall in the orange room.
  • Grab another fire extinguisher and a blueprint from the hallway to the right.
  • Only then should you grab the dice , as it will teleport you to a new area.

Jump into the white abyss next to the wooden right stand of the door to get to the constellation room. Match the stars like in the picture below, and then head out.

superliminal time travel

Use the dice to climb up and take a nap if only that were possible. Go around the bed to the next hallway. Press the extinguisher and jump over the cube to get to the fire alarm. Then, press the cube to get teleported into a new area.

In the red room, head to the left first to grab a fire alarm. Climb up the cube and pick up the extinguisher next to the door. Then, head into the room with the digital alarm clock. There's a fire alarm on the wall to the left. Grab that and get teleported into the elevators .

The Elevators Maze

superliminal time travel

Head straight until you reach the first arrow on the floor of an elevator. Then, all you have to do is follow their directions until you are out. Click on the alarm in the next room and head to the elevator. It will teleport you onto a street .

Head in all directions to spawn four walls. Once you've done that, the bedroom will appear in the middle. Before going in, climb up onto it to grab a blueprint. Then, go inside and turn off the alarm.

Level 8 - Whitespace

We are now in the framework that patients usually don't have access to. This can only mean good things, I'm sure.

Somnasculpt Sleep Clinic

Grab the Somnasculpt sleep clini c and enlarge it to go in. Once you go through, you will open the closed-off door in the hallway to the right. Place the miniature into the vending machine, where you can find a chess piece once you go through the doors.

Then, take the miniature through the exit . This will trigger a paradox. Keep going through the white space until you reach black walls and a room. Keep going and falling through this space until you get to the reception, or at least parts of it. Go to the right side of the reception to climb up and grab a blueprint.

superliminal time travel

Keep walking until you fall through a hole and into a room full of filing cabinets. Everything in this room is now grayscale, so it's a bit more difficult to find the two fire extinguishers on the walls and the fire alarm in the middle of the room.

Once you collect all of the extinguishers, you will get the 'Fires Extinguished' achievement. And if you've pulled all of the alarms, you will get the 'Fire Safety Achieved' achievement.

Go through an opening on the wall that looks like a shadow. Follow the arrows in the darkness until you've reached a fancy black-and-white corridor.

Windows Galore

Once you get to an area with many windows on both sides, go between them and back behind the door you just came from. You'll find a blueprint behind it.

superliminal time travel

Keep moving forward until you reach a big window . Jump through it, and you'll see an exit in the distance that's too high in the air to reach. Grab the window you just jumped through and use it as a platform.

The Light Switch

Once you climb up through the exit, go to the left and head towards the giant light switch in the distance. Click it, and you'll be in complete darkness. Turn around and follow the signs that point you toward the white staircase.

You can't go up the white staircase but can pass through it. Immediately turn around, and you'll see a black staircase . Climb up it and keep walking until you fall through the floor into a new room.

Related: Haunted Hunt Walkthrough – Adventure Escape Mysteries

The Looping Room

superliminal time travel

You'll loop right back into the same room if you go through the door. Instead, you can go through the white walls just like with the white staircase. Head through the wall with the red and blue sides, and you'll see an exit.

Keep going until you reach a rocky area. Go to the right of the door and climb up the rocks until you see a blueprint. Once you grab it, you'll get the 'Feeling Blue' achievement.

Don't go through the door yet. There is one more constellation left. Head past the door to the right until you reach the entrance to the starry night. This time, you'll find a keyboard in the stars .

superliminal time travel

Secret Chess Piece

Grab one chess piece from the table through the exit and then head back to the rocky area again. We need to grab a secret chess piece, too. Go the opposite way to the constellation and around a rock. You'll make it to the area in the image below. Place the piece next to the edge so that you can climb up.

Once you're up, head down the path until you reach a red mark on the floor . Go to the right so that you can match it to a chess piece. Go back, but don't forget to pick up the one piece you used to climb up.

superliminal time travel

Chess Board

The chessboard is only real once it has a chess piece on it. Place the white piece on the white spaces and the black piece on the black spaces to make it across the board. Go through the door to the new area. You have to put the block through the door first , and then you can pass it.

On the other side, you'll find a cheese. Again, put the cheese through the door first and then head back. Use the cheese as a ramp to get to the exit.

Climb down the chess spaces that create stairs and then go down a long psychedelic hallway. I had to look away for a bit there and almost missed the fact that the exit was to the left at the end. You'll find a black cube, which you need to remove and find an exit.

Once you do, jump down into the alarm. You'll be back in the bedroom, so just press the alarm clock, and you'll start the last level of Superliminal.

Level 9 - Retrospect

The Retrospect level in Superliminal takes you back through all of the areas you've been through in reverse order as the doctor talks to you. You can move if you want, but the game will get through all the areas independently by teleporting you. Once this level is done, you'll get the 'Wake Up' achievement.

For more walkthroughs, you can check out the Vanishing Act Walkthrough - Adventure Escape Mysteries on Pro Game Guides.

superliminal time travel

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Superluminal Travel

  • View history
  • 1 Cosmic Plane
  • 2 Warp-Space
  • 3.1 Level 1
  • 3.2 Level 2
  • 3.3 Level 3

Cosmic Plane [ ]

The Cosmic Plane is a, hidden multi-dimensional realm of space that is existent across the entire Convergence Multiverse. The plane is composed of pure, volatile white Cosmic Energy and is virtually inaccessible to most civilisations, except those that have reached the highest levels of technological sophistication. The existence of this realm allows for the Convergence Multiverse to thrive without fading away or violently collapsing. Unlike normal space that has three dimensions, the Cosmic Plane has far more, which effectively makes it impossible to see or perceive in any way.

Warp-Space [ ]

The existence of the Cosmic Plane allows for the continued thriving existence of normal space. However this is not the only realm that is reliant on the Cosmic Plane to exist. As a direct result of the Cosmic Plane's existence, another multidimensional realm exists layered underneath normal space. This alternate space acts as a barrier between the normal and Cosmic planes. It's proximity to the Cosmic Plane causes it to take on some of its properties due to a reality warping effect exerted on it. As such, this multidimensional "Warp Space" can be used to traverse vast distances over relatively lesser amounts of time. 

Because it isn't composed of cosmic energy, nor as much deeply layered away beneath the fabric of space as the Cosmic Plane is, Warp Space is more easily accessible to civilisations that have managed to produce even the most rudimentary forms of FTL. The basic method through which this is achieved is by producing a drive that is capable of tearing a micro blackhole-like singularity in the fabric of space and producing a method through which the ship is able to "squeeze" through it. A common method to enable the ship to transition through this singularity is by having the drive generate a quantum field around the ship to protect it from direct exposure to Warp Space. 

The harsh environment of Warp Space is due to the fact that its multidimensional nature could effectively tear ships or living beings to pieces by displacing their atoms across space and in some instances, time. As such, these quantum fields are essential to translate the ship's presence to the multidimensional realm of Warp Space without affecting the vessel inside the field. Due to the Warp Space's proximity to the Cosmic Realm, unguided vessels can inadvertently by thrown into the Cosmic Plane where even the most sophisticated energy shielding would not be able to protect the ship from complete and utter vaporisation. 

As such, it is essential that the ship's computers run constant calculations to maintain the quantum field around itself and guide the ship through the foreign environment of Warp Space in order for the vessel to safely reach it's destination. 

Levels of Technological Advancement [ ]

Level 1 [ ].

 This type is for civilisations who have just discovered FTL drives. The technology is rudimentary, but it gets the job done. The drive allows for spacecraft to safely transition between normal and Warp Space without the craft being torn apart and vaporised by the alternate realm’s harsh environment. Travel between star systems in the same sector can take days to weeks while travel to other sectors, especially those across the galaxy can take up to months to accomplish. Jumps are not always pinpoint accurate either, with spaceships possibly ending up a few kilometers away from the intended destination. 

Level 2 [ ]

Civilisations who have been space-faring for many years now are likely to have produced more advanced FTL drives. These engines enable spacecraft to traverse systems in the same sector within a few minutes to hours while travel to other sectors, especially those across the galaxy could take up to a few days to weeks at most. Warp Space jumps are a lot more accurate.

Level 3 [ ]

Only very few civilisations would be able to reach this stage, and in doing so it would take a long time. Travel to virtually anywhere in the galaxy is relatively instantaneous. Destination arrivals are pinpoint accurate. Civilisations who achieve this speed of travel often set their sights outside their galaxy and begin to travel to and explore other galaxies within their galactic neighbourhood. Depending on the distance between the home and destination galaxies, traversing between these two points can take from a few months to several years due to the comparatively larger amount of space crossed.

Civilisations at this point can only attempt to advance further and lessen the time taken to travel between galaxies, however improving an already incredibly sophisticated piece of technology can only go so far and most factions or species would find themselves unable to progress beyond this point.

  • 1 Blood Magic
  • 2 Necromancy
  • 3 Asgardian Empire

32 Movies Great Movies About Time Travel With Completely Different Rules

Prepare for some serious stipulations.

Marty McFly and Doc Brown in Back to the Future testing out the time machine

Is there ever a bad time to watch a time travel movie? Some of the best sci-fi movies in history have tackled this frequently explored topic, and new wrinkles in the fabric of the concept have made the subject more exciting over time. So why don’t we take a look at the different rules these flights of fancy have introduced? Should you be stuck in a time loop, we apologize if this list is starting to get old.

Back To The Future

Everyone loves to talk about how Back to the Future’s time travel works , but there’s one aspect we take for granted throughout the whole trilogy. Doc Brown ( Christopher Lloyd ) may have given Marty McFly ( Michael J. Fox ) the keys to travel through the past, present, and future; but you seriously need to consider the exact spot you’re traveling to. Otherwise, you might find yourself altering history in some intriguing ways. R.I.P. Twin Pines Mall. 

Time After Time

A novel adventure starring the father of time travel H.G. Wells (Malcolm McDowell), Time After Time actually introduced an interesting mechanic to temporal transport. Let’s just say that if you don’t use the Time Machine properly, you could find yourself stuck in your final destination. Or worse, falling through the time-space continuum, without a way back home.

The Terminator

The Terminator's time travel will forever be a head-scratcher, as the existence of John Connor is the ultimate ontological paradox. How else can you explain Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) being sent back to the 1980s to save the world…and make sure the person who sent him is born in the first place?

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

The oldest method of time travel in the Star Trek movies, 1986’s The Voyage Home saw Captain Kirk ( William Shatner ) and his crew trying to save the whales through a time heist. This wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for the Enterprise crew using a Klingon Bird of Prey, a slingshot orbit around the sun, and a lot of engineering power to do it.

2004’s Primer is still hotly discussed among time travel aficionados, and it’s not hard to see why. The shenanigans in this test case involve multiple versions of a singular traveler (Shane Carruth) existing in a single timeline, which creates one of the most chaotic timelines ever depicted.

The Adam Project

Story-wise, The Adam Project is pretty cozy when it comes to how it handles time travel. But when it comes to traveling in style, the older Adam Reed ( Ryan Reynolds ) has a Time Jet that’s specifically coded to his DNA! Not many temporal travelers HAVE that, and it prevents so many mistakes other adventures of this sort use for story purposes.

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Avengers: Endgame

How Avengers: Endgame’s time travel works is rather unorthodox, to be honest. Instead of overwriting the past into a more pleasing result, the MCU’s finest are only allowed to use it in the name of stealing/returning the Infinity Stones. Timelines can still create tangent histories, and 2014 Gamora takes over for her slain variant in the films, but you can’t stop “The Snap.”

Lost In Space

If all time travelers had the device Older Will Robinson (Jared Harris) built in 1998’s Lost in Space , they’d have it made. While only one person can travel at a time, exact coordinates in time and space are required; so you can go to a very specific spatial location on the timeline. 

The Butterfly Effect

The Butterfly Effect's time travel works on rules similar to that of Quantum Leap . Evan ( Ashton Kutcher ) can indeed change history, but it’s only within his own life’s timeline. Unfortunately, thanks to the multiple trips leading to continued alterations to the fabric of events, it all adds up in terms of severe physical wear and tear. 

Hot Tub Time Machine

Hot Tub Time Machine is a very special case when it comes to time travel. To be fair, the comedy ensemble franchise gets points for having its protagonists travel only within their own bodies. As for how one can actually travel with said titular device, apparently you need an energy drink, the right hot tub with the right temperature, and some convenient writing. 

Real-time bodily damage. That’s probably one of the most unique additions to Looper’s usage of time travel , as we see people incur damage in the past, only for it to show up on their future selves. Poor Seth ( Paul Dano ) demonstrated that lesson the hard way in Rian Johnson ’s sci-fi masterpiece. 

Star Trek: Generations

What if you could wish really hard to create an alternate timeline? Or what if you could send yourself back to your best memory, and never leave? That’s what The Nexus from Star Trek: Generations could do, and both Captains Kirk (William Shatner) and Picard ( Patrick Stewart ) got a taste of that sweet life, before ultimately using their new power to stop the villainous Dr. Soren (Malcolm McDowell). 

Bill And Ted’s Excellent Adventure

If you ever want to bring a figure from history home for dinner in the present, do it in the universe of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure . There are little to no consequences, especially when it comes to our heroes (Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves) whisking away two medieval princesses to become betrothed in the 1980s. Seriously, how did that not start a war?

The Time Traveler's Wife

“Chrono Impairment” is a seriously rare affliction, but it’s enough of a headache that it prevents Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana’s clock-crossed lovers from ever enjoying a normal life. Such is the nature of The Time Traveler's Wife , which invented that affliction to send Bana’s character Henry on unpredictable trips at unforeseeable intervals throughout his life. 

Indiana Jones And Dial Of Destiny

For Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny's time travel to actually happen, the world of Harrison Ford’s iconic archeologist needed specific hardware. Aided by some very precise calculations to try and take the Nazis to where they were trying to go, it wasn't as simple as jumping into a car and gunning it to 88 miles per hour. 

Star Trek: First Contact

For a franchise that uses temporal transit as much as the Star Trek series does, there sure are a lot of different ways to go back in time. And if you’re not satisfied with The Voyage Home’s method of a slingshot orbit around the Sun, then you can always do what Star Trek: First Contact did. While I wouldn’t personally recommend waiting for a Borg invasion to cause a temporal wake you can just hitch a ride on; you do you. 

Ok, so technically Tenet’s shenanigans involving time is “time inversion,” rather than time travel. Which only makes the journey, and the resulting reality The Protagonist (John David Washington) lives in all the more complicated. It also makes for some classic Christopher Nolan mind melts.

Would this really be a sci-fi party if author Michael Crichton didn’t show up? Timeline’s time travel is a lot of fun, if you consider using a “human fax machine” to send yourself to medieval times “fun.” In which case, try not to abuse it too much, as every trip has the chance to leave you with transcription errors in your reassembled DNA. Again, we’re working with a fax machine here.  

Somewhere In Time

It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for Christopher Reeve fans! Somewhere in Time just had to be on this list, as it's pretty unique in how it sends a person back through the ages. In the case of Reeve’s playwright Richard, all he needs is a really powerful hypnotic focus to zoom back to 1912. 

Star Trek (2009)

It’s kind of fitting that the 2009 Star Trek reboot would use time travel, given that the series has continually danced with that concept on TV and in movies. For this J.J. Abrams-directed venture, the destructive and inexact force of a black hole is what’s used to accidentally alter time so vastly that William Shatner turns into Chris Pine.

Déjà Vu

Tony Scott’s 2006 action-thriller Déjà Vu is a big movie with a relatively limited scope. With intelligence gathering, and ultimately one human transport, that can only go as far back as four and a half days, Denzel Washington’s work was kind of cut out for him on this caper.

The Tomorrow War

The Chris Pratt-starring time travel ensemble adventure The Tomorrow War has some pretty huge stipulations when it comes to recruiting an army for the future. The largest among them was, of course, you had to be dead according to the records of the future hellscape that pitted humanity against some very nasty creatures.

X-Men: Days Of Future Past

Going from here to there in the then and now in X-Men: Days of Future Past requires a serious amount of power. With Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) going back to his past body, the key to how it all happens lies in the phasing abilities of Kitty Pryde (Elliot Page). So this story uses a very physical, and incredibly vulnerable, method to execute its vision.

Out of all the time travel universes we’ve seen on screen, perhaps the one I feel the most sorry for is the one shown in 12 Monkeys . The basic rule of this Bruce Willis epic’s temporal transit is “hope for the best,” thanks to the method of being shot through time and intending to land in the right place going wrong more often than you think.

Midnight In Paris

Reminiscent of many other vehicular-based time travel films like Back to the Future , any character that travels through time in Midnight In Paris just needs to catch the right ride, at just about Midnight. The experience is bespoke to whoever is traveling, as the period of time that suits them best also dictates the method of transportation provided.

The Final Countdown

Dropping an aircraft carrier from the 1980s into the moments before Pearl Harbor, The Final Countdown delivers a moral dilemma plenty of time travelers have tangled with. But the real difference with this underrated sci-fi movie is the fact that the time-traveling storm that is responsible for the trip is inescapable. You’re going home, whether you want to or not.

Sharing a similarity with the romantic classic Somewhere In Time , Richard Curtis’ About Time allows any potential traveler to jump into the past with merely intense concentration. However, certain caveats are in play, like the recommendation of not traveling past certain life milestones, or the fact that only the men of the Lake family can actually use this gift.

Donnie Darko

Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal) can’t exactly travel through time in Donnie Darko , but he does have a special temporal ability that’s kind of funny and kind of sad. With the ability to open a wormhole between the present and the past, Mr. Darko can send objects through time; the skill that gives Richard Kelly’s movie its bittersweet ending. 

Kate & Leopold

Kate & Leopold’s usage of a localized time portal is a method as old as time. However, the big difference with this Meg Ryan/Hugh Jackman rom-com is that the journey Leopold (Jackman) takes to the “future” of 2001 robs us all of elevators. Also, there’s a ticking clock on this specific portal’s usage, which only complicates things further.

Groundhog Day

Perhaps the movie that nailed the time loop into the consciousness of the world, Groundhog Day brought us a charming Bill Murray rom-com mixed with a time travel story. Its misanthropic lead needed to change, even as the world around him stayed the same. The rest was sci-fi history in the making. 

Happy Death Day

What happens if you make a Groundhog Day-style time loop into a deadly game? You get a movie like Happy Death Day , in which our initially unlikable lead Tree (Jessica Rothe) is being stalked through a single-day time loop. The big kicker in this variant is that, unlike your standard time loop, Tree has a finite number of cycles before she possibly dies for good.

Where does one start with director Joseph Kahn’s Detention? Well, how about the fact that the teenagers in play (including a pre- Hunger Games Josh Hutcherson) use a stuffed bear as a time travel capsule? Or the fact that a mother/daughter pair can body swap on a permanent basis, and with no consequences? 

And with that, our supreme sampling of time travel trips has come to a close. Which more than likely has left you with a want to watch some of these movies again, or for the first time. That's totally natural, because this is a subgenre that always leaves us with one question: is there ever a bad time to watch a time travel movie?

Mike Reyes

Mike Reyes is the Senior Movie Contributor at CinemaBlend, though that title’s more of a guideline really. Passionate about entertainment since grade school, the movies have always held a special place in his life, which explains his current occupation. Mike graduated from Drew University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, but swore off of running for public office a long time ago. Mike's expertise ranges from James Bond to everything Alita, making for a brilliantly eclectic resume. He fights for the user.

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IMAGES

  1. Superliminal on Steam

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  2. Superliminal Preview Breaks The Rules Of Reality

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  3. Superliminal on Steam

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  4. Superliminal Review

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  5. Superliminal Review (PS4)

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  6. Superliminal Walkthrough

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VIDEO

  1. Самолет #3d #blender

  2. Superliminal: Random Soda

  3. Superliminal first time playing

  4. Superliminal_20240130171507

  5. Superliminal_20240210153250

  6. The Ending

COMMENTS

  1. Faster-than-light

    Superluminal travel of non-information. In the context of this article, FTL is the transmission of information or matter faster than c, a constant equal to the speed of light in vacuum, which is 299,792,458 m/s (by definition of the metre) [7] or about 186,282.397 miles per second. This is not quite the same as traveling faster than light ...

  2. These Are the Top Four Theories That Could Bring Us Closer to Faster

    No causality issues. No weird time dilations. No accidental time travel. No infinite mass problems. Just open superliminal space. Sounds fun, but it begs one big question: How? For an object to exist in superliminal space, it must jump from this realm to the superliminal realm. The idea isn't to speed up to superliminal speed but to pop into it.

  3. Superluminal phenomena shed new light on time

    A superluminal signal A to B that is forward in time in one inertial frame may be backward in time A to B´ in another inertial frame related to the first by a Lorentz transformation. Difficulties with causality only arise if a return signal B´ to C is possible, where C is in the past light-cone of A. Quantum effects such as vacuum ...

  4. Three time dimensions, one space dimension: Relativity of superluminal

    The authors start from the concept of space-time corresponding to our physical reality: with three spatial dimensions and one time dimension. However, from the point of view of the superluminal ...

  5. Superluminal motion

    In astronomy, superluminal motion is the apparently faster-than-light motion seen in some radio galaxies, BL Lac objects, quasars, blazars and recently also in some galactic sources called microquasars. Bursts of energy moving out along the relativistic jets emitted from these objects can have a proper motion that appears greater than the speed ...

  6. Faster-Than-Light Travel is Possible, Theoretical Study Suggests

    A new theoretical paper, published in the journal Classical and Quantum Gravity, reignites the debate about the possibility of superluminal (faster-than-light) travel based on conventional physics. Solitons capable of transporting time-like observers at superluminal speeds have long been tied to violations of the energy conditions of general ...

  7. Superluminal -- from Eric Weisstein's World of Physics

    A superluminal phenomenon is a frame of reference traveling with a speed greater than the speed of light c. There is a putative class of particles dubbed tachyons which are able to travel faster than light. Faster-than-light phenomena violate the usual understanding of the "flow" of time, a state of affairs which is known as the causality problem (and also called the "Shalimar Treaty").

  8. PDF Robert J. Nemiro and David M. Russelly

    How superluminal motion can lead to backward time travel Robert J. Nemiro and David M. Russelly Michigan Technological University, Department of Physics, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, Michigan 49931 Abstract It is commonly asserted that superluminal particle motion can enable backward time travel, but little has been written providing details.

  9. The Tricky Illusion That Looks Faster Than Light

    Nothing can travel faster than light. This is an innate law of the universe which can never be broken. But if you're not careful when looking through a telescope, you could be fooled into thinking ...

  10. spacetime

    Your teleportation device (which is an extreme form of superluminal travel) would indeed allow you to travel backward in time, assuming (a) special relativity is true and (b) you were able to use this device in any reference frame to teleport between any two points at the same time (with "at the same time" defined by the reference frame you are in).

  11. New Superluminal Theory Transforms Our Concept of Time with "Extension

    The researchers involved say they have developed "an extension of special relativity" that incorporates three individual time dimensions with a single space dimension, which helps explain how observations made by "superluminal" observers—inertial observers moving faster than the speed of light—might appear.

  12. Complete Superliminal Walkthrough

    There is a trophy/achievement for finishing Superliminal in under 35 minutes, so the following solutions should help you cut down on time. The options menu has a speedrun clock you can turn on ...

  13. Superliminal Wiki

    Superliminal is a first-person puzzle game based on forced perspective and optical illusions. Puzzles in this game give you a sense of the unexpected. Players need to change their perspective and think outside the box to wake up from the dream. Superliminal Wiki is a community that aims to document and preserve information on Superliminal, a ...

  14. How long is Superliminal?

    When focusing on the main objectives, Superliminal is about 2½ Hours in length. If you're a gamer that strives to see all aspects of the game, you are likely to spend around 10 Hours to obtain 100% completion. Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One. Genres:

  15. Superliminal

    A full walkthrough of Pillow Castle's perspective-bending puzzle game Superliminal, without commentary.00:53 Induction05:57 Optical10:41 Cubism14:18 Blackout...

  16. How would time travel affect life as we know it?

    Science fiction has thoroughly covered the topic of time travel, starting with H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine" in 1895 and continuing right up to modern movies like "Déjà Vu" starring Denzel Washington.But physicists have also explored the nature of time and the plausibility of time travel for more than century, beginning with Albert Einstein's theories of relativity.

  17. Review: 'Superliminal' Is The Cleverest Game Going-But ...

    Superliminal is clever, funny, challenging, and unique, but only to a degree. Once this two-to-three-hour experience is finished, you'll probably want a little more of everything. Hopefully ...

  18. Superliminal speedruns might break your mind

    Superliminal is a game based on forced perspective and optical illusions. This makes for one of the coolest speedruns, that may also break your mindMy 2nd ch...

  19. Superliminal walkthrough guide

    Grab it and use the shelves on it to climb up the platform. distorted exit door. Pick up the shelves cube and climb the second floor to the left. Align the door on the floor to the parts of it on the pillar. Remove the door and exit. a red chess piece. Go to the middle of the room and look up.

  20. Superliminal

    Superliminal is a walking simulator pretending to be a puzzle game. The game does have puzzles, but most of them are either mind-numbingly easy or so obtuse you will be annoyed at the game when you figure out the solution rather than amazed. The last half of the game has so few puzzles and essentially you holding the W key for most of the time.

  21. Superluminal Travel

    Superluminal Travel A visual representation of FTL. Superluminal Travel (or Faster than Light travel as it is often referred to) is the method by which individuals or species traverse galactic distances within a relatively short amount of time using specialised engine drives. Crossing these immense distances is achieved by accessing the Cosmic Plane, which is a multidimensional realm existing ...

  22. 32 Movies Great Movies About Time Travel With Completely Different

    The oldest method of time travel in the Star Trek movies, 1986's The Voyage Home saw Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and his crew trying to save the whales through a time heist. This wouldn't ...