If we want to travel to distant stars and planets, it is a sine qua non that we find a means of propulsion faster than light. To date, even research based on Einstein’s theory of general relativity relies on using huge amounts of hypothetical particles and states of matter with equally exotic physical properties, such as negative energy density; some particles that we cannot currently find. Then?
Curvature displacement is well known in science fiction ; the most famous is the one used in the Star Trek movies and series, whose propulsion is based on bending or distorting space-time, in such a way that it makes it easier for the ship to approach the destination point with a speed equivalent to or greater than the speed of light. The space and time behind the spacecraft would expand while the space and time ahead of the object would be compressed. But what if Star Trek’s Enterprise warp engine could become the real thing?
The first to think about it and turn to fiction for inspiration was the Mexican scientist Miguel Alcubierre in 1994 . But he ran into an obstacle: the laws of physics leave no room for negative energy. In the theoretical framework devised by Alcubierre, he imagined how the ship would be catapulted thanks to a bubble of negative energy that would expand space and time from behind, while space-time in front of it would be compressed. Just like in Star Trek.
Distortion boost
Now, the new study carried out by physicist Erik Lentz and collected by the journal Classical and Quantum Gravity suggests that we may have a viable solution to the dilemma. The work, developed by scientists from the University of Göttingen (Germany) has found the solution to this problem by building a new class of hyperfast “solitons” using sources with positive energies that would allow traveling at any speed and thus achieving , superluminal speeds. Solitons represent a type of wave that maintain their shape and energy while moving at a constant speed and, according to Lentz’s theoretical calculations, these hyperfast solitons can exist within general relativity and are obtained purely from positive energy densities, for what would not be considered exotic sources of negative energy density with which we are still not entirely clear. No “exotic” negative energy densities would be needed .
With enough energy we could make these ‘warp bubbles’ capable of superluminal motion and theoretically allow an object to pass through space-time while protected from extreme tidal forces.
“The energy required for this impulse traveling at the speed of light and encompassing a spacecraft with a radius of 100 meters is of the order of hundreds of times the mass of the planet Jupiter,” explains Lentz. “The energy savings would have to be drastic, about 30 orders of magnitude to be within the range of modern nuclear fission reactors.”
If we can generate enough power, the equations used in this research would allow, for example, Proxima Centauri, our closest star, to travel through space and return to Earth in years rather than decades or millennia.
“The next step is to figure out how to reduce the astronomical amount of energy required within the range of current technologies, such as a large modern nuclear fission power plant. Then we can talk about building the first prototypes, ” concludes Lentz.
It is not a trivial matter, because for the impulse to travel at the speed of light for a spacecraft of, say, 100 meters in radius, it would need a few hundred times the mass of Jupiter. So for the moment, the curvature drivers will remain in the theoretical realm, but this study offers us a new perspective on how we might get there.
Referencia: “Breaking the warp barrier: hyper-fast solitons in Einstein–Maxwell-plasma theory” by Erik W Lentz, 9 March 2021, Classical and Quantum Gravity.
DOI: 10.1088/1361-6382/abe692
