Questions tagged [warp-drives]
warp drives are generic conceptual space travel mechanisms that try to work around physical limits in the speed of propagation of light imposed by special relativity. Usually they resort to speculative science (exotic matter), or phenomena that are not yet well understood or is hard to make validation experiments (non-eternal rotating black holes)
26
questions
39
votes
7
answers
15k
views
How does "warp drive" not violate Special Relativity causality constraints?
I'm talking about this nonsense: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2014/06/11/this-is-the-amazing-design-for-nasas-star-trek-style-space-ship-the-ixs-enterprise/
Now, I'm aware that ...
- 784
24
votes
4
answers
6k
views
Could a ship equipped with Alcubierre drive theoretically escape from a black hole?
Could a ship equipped with Alcubierre drive theoretically escape from a black hole?
Also, could it reach parts of the universe that are receding faster than the speed of light from us?
- 589
9
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Erik Lentz's faster-than-light soliton
It's well known that, in relativity, if you can go faster than light, you can go backwards in time and create a paradox.
Also, attempts to create "warp-drive" space-times in which something ...
- 13.1k
5
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Faster-than-light communication using Alcubierre warp drive metric around a single qubit?
The Alcubierre warp drive metric has been criticized on the points of requiring a large amount of exotic matter with negative energy, and conditions deadly for human travellers inside the bubble. What ...
- 67
4
votes
1
answer
127
views
Is observing (superluminal) velocity independent of choice of coordinates for asymptotically flat spacetimes?
Alcubierre's warped metric in ($1+1$)D is typically given in the form of:
$$ds^2 = -dt^2 + [dx-v(t)f(r) dt]^2 \ \ .$$
Then it is nicely discussed how manipulating:
$$-dt^2 + [dx-v(t) f(r) \ dt]^2=0$$
...
- 103
28
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Would warp bubbles emit gravitational Cerenkov radiation in general relativity?
Inspired by the gravtiomagnetic analogy, I would expect that just as a charged tachyon would emit normal (electromagetic) Cerenkov radiation, any mass-carrying warp drive would emit gravitational ...
- 2,085
8
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Doesn't Warp theory violate causality? [duplicate]
I have heard many physicists (ex:- Michio Kaku) saying "Warp speed" from Star Trek doesn't violate any known physical laws. But doesn't it violate causality?
Say, we make warp drive possible and ...
- 87
8
votes
3
answers
665
views
How to make a warp bubble moving?
In answer to this question it is stated that:
In summary, warp drives move because they already move, or else they need to propel, and their movement is not related to spacetime expansion or ...
- 1,115
6
votes
1
answer
2k
views
How could we travel to the nearest supermassive Black hole?
I have just watched a trailer for the upcoming movie Interstellar and started to wonder about some physics involved. In the end of the trailer, they are obviously plunging into a Black hole hoping to ...
- 20.4k
4
votes
2
answers
5k
views
Alcubierre-White warp drive energy consumption
I can't find any place that gives a number other than for a $10c$, 8 lightyear trip being something like 68 exajoules (off the top of my head, might be wrong). I'm sure the math would tell me this if ...
- 165
4
votes
3
answers
318
views
When can information escape from a black hole through a warp bubble-like spacetime?
It is well known that nothing can escape a black hole, including gravitational radiation. Many questions have been asked here about this topic, such as:
Can gravitational waves escape a black hole?
...
- 4,080
15
votes
6
answers
7k
views
Alcubierre Drive - Clarification on relativistic effects
On the Wikipedia article on the Alcubierre drive, it says:
Since the ship is not moving within this bubble, but carried along as the region itself moves, conventional relativistic effects such as ...
- 677
7
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Harold White's work on the Alcubierre warp drive
I've read a bit on Harold White's recent work. (A paper on Nasa's site) I haven't been able to find any comments by people claiming to know anything about the physics involved. Is this really serious? ...
- 303
6
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Analogy for Lentz soliton
Analogy for Alcubeirre Warp Drive:
Every explanation of warp drive in layman terms has this sentence in it:
"The Warp Drive will contract space in thier front and expand space behind."
(I ...
- 737
5
votes
2
answers
2k
views
How much Energy to create a 'warp field' according to White?
An Alcubierre Drive is a hypothetical device that can move a place someplace else faster than the speed of light without violating known laws of physics.
This paper provides some equations as to the ...
- 2,132