"Warp Drive" research

[Andy44]

http://www.foxnews.com/science/2012...be-more-feasible-than-thought-scientists-say/

'Warp drive' may be more feasible than thought, scientists say

Published September 17, 2012
Space.com

A warp drive to achieve faster-than-light travel — a concept popularized in television's Star Trek — may not be as unrealistic as once thought, scientists say.
A warp drive

would manipulate space-time itself to move a starship, taking advantage of a loophole in the laws of physics that prevent anything from moving faster than light

. A concept for a real-life warp drive was suggested in 1994 by Mexican physicist Miguel Alcubierre, however subsequent calculations found that such a device would require prohibitive amounts of energy.
Now physicists say that adjustments can be made to the proposed warp drive that would enable it to run on significantly less energy, potentially brining the idea back from the realm of science fiction into science.
"There is hope," Harold "Sonny" White of NASA's Johnson Space Center said here Friday (Sept. 14) at the 100 Year Starship Symposium

, a meeting to discuss the challenges of interstellar spaceflight....[more]

Sounds like fun, but articles like this never explain how this will jive with the paradoxes created by FTL. There must be some explanation, since it appears to be taken seriously.

 

[Urwumpe]

What if the universe is more tolerant to paradoxes than the human brain?

 

[Hlynkacg]

What if the universe is more tolerant to paradoxes than the human brain?

fun time begins

 

[Artlav]

Paradoxes are only possible in theories, which are maps of the universe, not the territory.
The universe itself can not have a paradox, by definition.

What would happen if you go faster than light, or go back in time and try to kill your grandfather?
Only an experiment can show.

The most interesting part of this is that there are laboratory tests. Of a warp drive concept.
Sounds exciting, even if it's just a humble test.

 

[jedidia]

Warp-drive lab-test. Now, in which SF story did such a thing not blow up the first time? :lol:

Anyways, it does sound exciting, but... Aren't they going to need exotic matter for that experiment? As far as I'm aware, we don't have that in stock anywhere :shifty:

 

[Shadownailshot]

How exactly does one bend space-time without generating odd gravitational fields? That's the only thing I know that bends space-time. And how exactly are they testing it in the lab? I read somewhere else that it was a computer simulation.

 

[Urwumpe]

How exactly does one bend space-time without generating odd gravitational fields? That's the only thing I know that bends space-time. And how exactly are they testing it in the lab? I read somewhere else that it was a computer simulation.

Depends on the theory of gravity that you use. Some current theories permit some different ways to produce only very localized distortions or even create some sort of temporary tunnel.

 

[Hlynkacg]

How exactly does one bend space-time without generating odd gravitational fields? That's the only thing I know that bends space-time. And how exactly are they testing it in the lab? I read somewhere else that it was a computer simulation.

As I understand it "generating odd gravitational fields" is how the thing works in the first place.

 

[Shadownailshot]

As I understand it "generating odd gravitational fields" is how the thing works in the first place.

Fair enough. But how? I thought the missing piece to the alcubierre drive was "exotic matter." I never heard about anyone obtaining any of this, and even with my busy schedule I try and maintain my knowledge of current science.

 

[Andy44]

From the article:

They set up what they call the White-Juday Warp Field Interferometer at the Johnson Space Center, essentially creating a laser interferometer that instigates micro versions of space-time warps.

"We're trying to see if we can generate a very tiny instance of this in a tabletop experiment, to try to perturb space-time by one part in 10 million," White said.

He called the project a "humble experiment" compared to what would be needed for a real warp drive, but said it represents a promising first step.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/science/2012...le-than-thought-scientists-say/#ixzz26t2GYF8L

 

[Arrowstar]

I love how they called it a "Warp Field" interferometer. Right out of Star Trek, that.

 

[Shadownailshot]

I did a little research last night, and it took a lot of digging to find what I wanted. If you look at the graphical projection of what this drive does to space, space bends "down," in front of the craft (which is what gravity does), and bends "up" in the back of the drive. You would need negative mass to bend space "up." This technology, if it were developed (which, without negative mass, it wont be) would have other implications as well. These include anti-gravity and artificial gravity, and possible some extremely exotic weaponry.