The idea of a warp unit that takes us through large areas of space faster than the speed of light has long fascinated scientists and science fiction enthusiasts. While we are still a long way from jumping any universal speed limit, that doesn’t mean we will never ride the waves of deformed space-time.
Now a group of physicists have drafted the first proposal for a physical warp impulse, based on a concept devised in the 1990s. And they say it should not break any of the laws of physics.
Theoretically speaking, warp units curve and change the shape of space-time to exaggerate differences in time and distance that, in some circumstances, could see travelers move over distances faster than the speed of light. .
One of these circumstances was outlined more than a quarter of a century ago by Mexican theoretical physicist Miguel Alcubierre. His idea, proposed in 1994, was that a spacecraft powered by something called “Alcubierre unit” could get this trip faster than light. The problem is that it requires a lot of negative energy in one place, which is simply not possible according to existing physics.
But the new study has an alternative solution. According to researchers from the New York-based independent research group Applied Physics, it is possible to abandon negative energy fiction and still generate a warp impulse, although it may be a little slower than we would like .
“We went in a different direction from NASA and others and our research has shown that there are actually several other kinds of warp impulses in general relativity,” says astrophysicist Alexey Bobrick of the University. from Lund to Sweden.
“In particular, we have formulated new classes of warp drive solutions that do not require negative energy and therefore become physical.”
Why is negative energy so important? The need for negative energy solves some of the general relativity problems of faster travel than light, as it allows space to expand and contract faster than light, while keeping everything within its deformation within limits. universal speed.
Unfortunately, it introduces more problems of its own, mainly that the negative energy we would need only exists in fluctuations on a quantum scale. Until we can find a way to grab a quantity of solar-sized material, such disks are not possible.
New research is working around this: according to the document, negative energy would not be needed, but it would be an enormously powerful gravitational field. Gravity would make the bending of space-time flexion so that the passage of time in and out of the warp drive machine would be significantly different.
You will not be able to book tickets yet: the amount of mass needed to produce a noticeable gravitational effect on space-time would be at least the size of a planet and there are still many questions to be answered.
“If we take the mass of the entire planet Earth and compress it to a shell with a size of 10 meters, the correction of the speed of time inside is still very small, about an hour more a year,” Bobrick said New scientist.
Another interesting finding from the research concerns the shape of the warp: a wider, taller ship will need less energy than a long, thin one. Think of a plate that is held upright lying on the face of the wall and you already have an idea of the optimal shape of warp unit.
While the reality of traveling to distant stars and planets is still far away, the new study is the latest addition to a growing group of research that suggests the principles of warp units are sound in scientific terms.
Researchers admit that they are not yet sure how to make exactly the technology they have described in their work, but now at least more numbers are being added. They are confident that far in the future, the warp drive will come true.
“While we still can’t break the speed of light, we don’t need it to become an interstellar species,” says Gianni Martire, one of the scientists in the Applied Physics group behind the new study. “Our research on warp order has the potential to unite us all.”
The research has been published in Classical and quantum gravity.