negative mass or “ exotic matter“).Īccording to Alcubierre, quantum field theory allows for the existence of regions of spacetime that have negative energy densities. Alcubierre concluded that it was possible, provided a field could be created with a lower energy density than the vacuum of space (aka. In his research paper, “ The warp drive: hyper-fast travel within general relativity,” he offered a possible solution to Einstein’s field equations that considered how a spacecraft could achieve apparent Faster-Than-Light (FTL) travel without violating Relativity. The credit for this goes to Mexican theoretical physicist Miguel Alcubierre, who proposed what would come to be known as the “ Alcubierre Drive” as part of his Ph.D. It was not until 1994 that an actual proposal was made to explain how FTL could work within the realm of known physics. While the idea of “warp drives” and FTL have been with us for decades, these concepts have overwhelmingly been the stuff of science fiction and pure speculation. In 2020, he began working with engineers and scientists at the Limitless Space Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to education, outreach, research grants, and the development of advanced propulsion methods – which they hope will culminate in the creation of the first warp drive! White pursued the development of an Alcubierre Warp Drive with his colleagues at the Advanced Propulsion Physics Research Laboratory (NASA Eagleworks) at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Harold “Sonny” White has been investigating this theory in the hopes of bringing it closer to reality. This would allow the spacecraft to effectively travel faster than the speed of light while not violating Relativity or causality. It’s known as the Alcubierre Warp Metric, which describes a warp field that contracts spacetime in front of a spacecraft and expands it behind. While no object can ever reach or exceed the speed of light, there may be a loophole that allows for Faster-Than-Light (FTL) travel. Per this theory, the speed of light is constant and absolute, and objects approaching it will experience an increase in their inertial mass (thereby requiring more mass to accelerate further). Unfortunately, the laws of physics impose strict limitations on how fast things can travel in our Universe, otherwise known as Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity. Ever since astronomers found that Earth and the Solar System are not unique in the cosmos, humanity has dreamed of the day when we might explore nearby stars and settle extrasolar planets.
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