{"id":14923,"date":"2022-07-05T05:00:57","date_gmt":"2022-07-05T03:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sciencefocus.com\/?p=122950"},"modified":"2022-07-05T05:29:10","modified_gmt":"2022-07-05T03:29:10","slug":"mjolnir-the-physics-that-could-stop-the-unworthy-from-wielding-thors-hammer","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/rss_feed\/mjolnir-the-physics-that-could-stop-the-unworthy-from-wielding-thors-hammer\/","title":{"rendered":"Mj\u00f6lnir: The physics that could stop the unworthy from wielding Thor\u2019s hammer"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Stephen Kelly\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 05 July 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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According to comic book legend, the hammer of Thor, Mj\u00f6lnir, can only be lifted by those who are deemed worthy enough to wield it. Now, with Thor: Love And Thunder<\/em> due for release, this has inevitably led to questions.<\/p>\n

What makes someone \u2018worthy\u2019? How does the hammer stop the likes of the Hulk from lifting it? And if even the Hulk cannot lift it, how much must it weigh? It\u2019s a debate so enduring that it made its way into 2015\u2019s Avengers: Age Of Ultron<\/em>, where all of the Avengers took turns trying (and failing) to lift the hammer off a table. \u201cThe handle\u2019s imprinted, right?\u201d suggests an annoyed Tony Stark. \u201cLike a security code?\u201d<\/p>\n

James Kakalios, a physics professor at the University of Minnesota, and author of The Physics Of Superheroes<\/em>, has spent more time than most thinking about Thor\u2019s hammer. So much so, in fact, that his theory for how it works was cited by Bruce Banner himself in an issue of the 2012 comic The Indestructible Hulk<\/em>. For a start, Kakalios suggests that Stark wasn\u2019t that far off with his idea of the hammer\u2019s handle featuring a fingerprint scanner.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe science of the Asgardians is so advanced that to us it would seem like magic,\u201d he says. \u201cIt makes sense that Mj\u00f6lnir would possess a form of artificial intelligence<\/a> that, when you grab the handle, uses some sort of biosensor to scan whether you\u2019re worthy.\u201d He uses a scene from the first Thor<\/em> movie to illustrate his point. \u201cOdin banishes Thor, after whispering to Mj\u00f6lnir, \u2018whoever holds this hammer, if they be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor\u2019. So basically Odin has administrator rights to rewrite the hammer\u2019s operating code.\u201d<\/p>\n

But even if that was true, how does Mj\u00f6lnir also repel the unworthy by making itself impossible to lift? Kakalios\u2019s Bruce-Banner-approved theory pivots around gravitons. These are fundamental particles that have not yet been confirmed to exist on Earth, but could exist in the scientifically advanced society of Asgard.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one has observed a graviton yet,\u201d he says, \u201cbut it is believed to be the quantum mediator of the gravitational force; much like photons of light are the quantum excitation of the electromagnetic field.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Natalie Portman and Chris Hemsworth in Thor: Love and Thunder<\/em> \u00a9 Disney\/Marvel<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Kakalios\u2019s theory is that when Mj\u00f6lnir is grabbed by someone it has deemed unworthy, it emits gravitons to make the hammer a heavier weight than the individual can lift. This, Kakalios says, explains why the hammer does not fall through the table in Avengers: Age Of Ultron<\/em> \u2013 because it is able to use gravitons to adjust its weight and nullify whatever force is being exerted on it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will only emit those excess gravitons while you\u2019re trying to lift it,\u201d says Kakalios. \u201cLet\u2019s say the hammer weighs 40 pounds. It exerts a force of 40 pounds on the table and the table pushes back with a weight of 40 pounds. So the hammer doesn\u2019t move. You then try to lift it off the table with a force of 80 pounds. You should be able to because 80 up is greater than 40 down.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut if the hammer at that moment knows how much force you\u2019re exerting, it could emit gravitons so now it weighs 80 pounds. Your 80 and its 80 balance out. The moment you let go, it stops emitting the gravitons and goes back to weighing 40 pounds, meaning it can sit on the table just fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Or, of course, it could just be magic.<\/p>\n

Verdict:<\/strong> Mj\u00f6lnir\u2019s traits might be weird, but it can all be explained by Asgardian physics\u2026 even if their physics is different from ours.<\/p>\n

About our expert, James Kakalios<\/h4>\n

James Kakalios<\/a> is the Taylor Distinguished Professor in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Minnesota, where he has taught since 1988. His scientific research in experimental condensed matter physics concerns the properties of complex and disordered systems. His popular science book,\u00a0The Physics of Superheroes<\/em><\/a>, was published in 2005.<\/p>\n

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