Wormholes in the laboratory – Public lecture by Dr. Joe Lykken

A wormhole, also known as an Einstein-Rosen bridge, is a hypothetical tunnel connecting remote points in spacetime. While wormholes are allowed by Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity, wormholes have never been found in the universe. In 2022, a team of scientists including Dr. Joe Lykken, leader of the Fermilab Quantum Institute, published an article about the observation of wormhole dynamics in the science journal Nature. It was featured on the cover of the Dec. 1 issue of the magazine. In the article, the team described observable phenomena produced by a quantum processor that “are consistent with the dynamics of a transversable wormhole.” Working with a Sycamore quantum computer at Google, the team had been able to transfer information from one area of the computer to another through a quantum system utilizing artificial intelligence hardware. Lykken, a Fermilab distinguished scientist and former deputy director of research, earned his doctorate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and has previously worked for the Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics and the University of Chicago. He began his tenure at Fermilab in 1989. Lykken is a fellow of the American Physical Society and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The Fermilab Quantum Institute leverages Fermilab’s expertise and infrastructure and partnerships with leading quantum information science researchers to pursue high-impact research and development in quantum information science, while advancing high-energy physics applications. For more information about the article about wormholes published in Nature in 2022 visit: For information about the Fermilab Arts and Lecture Series, please visit: