For decades, we have dreamed of visiting other stellar systems. There is only one problem – they are so far away, with conventional spaceflight it would take tens of thousands of years to reach even the nearest one.
Physicists, however, are not the kind of people who give up easily. Give them an impossible dream and they will give you an incredible, hypothetical way to make it a reality. May be.
In a new study by physicist Erik Lentz of the University of Göttingen in Germany, we may have a viable solution to the dilemma and it is one that may prove more feasible than other potential warp variants.
This is an area that attracts a lot of brilliant ideas, each offering a different approach to solving the puzzle of the journey faster than light: the realization of a means of sending something through space at superluminal speeds.
Hypothetical travel times to Proxima Centauri, the closest known star to the Sun. (E. Lentz)
However, there are some problems with this notion. In conventional physics, according to Albert Einstein’s theories of relativity, there is no real way to reach or exceed the speed of light, which we should have for any journey measured in light-years.
This did not stop physicists from trying to break this universal speed limit.
While pushing matter over the speed of light will always be a big no, no, space-time itself does not have such a rule. In fact, the far edges of the Universe are already stretching faster than its light could ever hope to match.
To bend a small space bubble similarly for transport purposes, we should solve the equations of relativity to create a lower energy density than the space void. While this type of negative energy occurs on a quantum scale, sufficient accumulation in the form of a “negative mass” is still a realm for exotic physics.
In addition to facilitating other types of abstract possibilities, such as wormholes and time travel, negative energy could help fuel what is known as the Alcubierre warp.
This speculative concept would use the principles of negative energy to distort space around a hypothetical spaceship, allowing it to actually travel faster than light without challenging traditional physical laws, except for the reasons explained above, we cannot hope to offer such a fantastic fuel. source for starters.
But what if it were possible for us to somehow travel faster than light, to keep the belief in Einstein’s relativity without requiring any exotic physics that physicists have never seen?
Artistic impression of different models of spaceships in “warp bubbles”. (E. Lentz)
In the new paper, Lentz proposes such a way that we could do this, thanks to what he calls a new class of hyper-fast solitons – a kind of wave that maintains its shape and energy as it moves at a constant speed (and in this case, a speed higher than light).
According to Lentz’s theoretical calculations, these hyper-fast soliton solutions can exist in general relativity and come purely from positive energy densities, which means that it is not necessary to consider exotic sources of negative energy density that do not have yet to be verified.
With enough energy, the configurations of these solitons could function as “warp bubbles”, capable of superluminal motion and theoretically allowing an object to pass through space-time while being protected from extreme tidal forces.
It is an impressive fact of theoretical gymnastics, although the amount of energy required means that this warp unit is only a hypothetical possibility at the moment.
“The energy required for this drive, which travels at the speed of light, comprising a spacecraft with a radius of 100 meters, is about hundreds of times the mass of Jupiter,” says Lentz.
“Energy savings should be drastic, about 30 orders of magnitude to be in the range of modern fission nuclear reactors.”
While Lentz’s study claims to be the first known solution of its kind, his work came almost exactly at the same time as another recent analysis, published just this month, which also proposes an alternative model for a possible warp unit from physically, which does not require negative energy to function.
Both teams are now in contact, says Lentz, and the researcher intends to share his data so that other scientists can explore his figures. In addition, Lentz will explain his research in a week – in a live YouTube presentation on March 19.
There are still a lot of puzzles to solve, but the free flow of these types of ideas remains our best hope of ever having a chance to visit those distant and twinkling stars.
“This paper has moved the issue of faster-than-light travel one step closer to theoretical research in fundamental physics and closer to engineering,” says Lentz.
“The next step is to figure out how to reduce the astronomical amount of energy needed in today’s range of technologies, such as a large modern nuclear fission plant. Then we can talk about building the first prototypes.”
The findings are reported in Classical and quantum gravity.