|
Warp Drive Sketch
Warp Travel Or Hyperspace Travel?
TRAVELLING FASTER THAN THE SPEED OF
LIGHT HOW SCIENCE FICTION BECAME A NASA PROJECT A big problem with the
Alcubierre drive is it needs a whole lot of energy to bend space-time.
NASA scientist, Harold “Sonny” White
changed the design of the drive so that it requires a lot less energy. The
Alcubierre drive used to require energy equal to that produced by Jupiter’s
mass. Now, the new design requires about 1,600 pounds or less than a Toyota
Prius worth of energy! If the new Alcubierre drive works in real life, then
White says we could reach Alpha Centauri Bb in a few weeks. Could there be
life on other planets? What do aliens look like and are they friendly to
people on Earth? To travel to far away planets such as Alpha Centauri Bb, we
need to travel faster than the speed of light. Alpha Centauri Bb is the
planet closest to Earth and outside of our solar system. It is about 4 light
years away. If we could travel as fast as the speed of light, then we would
reach this planet in about four years. If we could travel faster than light,
we could visit our neighbors near and far! Fun facts: A light year is how
far light travels in one year. This is about 10 trillion kilometers. 1
trillion has 12 zeros! At this stage, NASA does not think faster than light
travel is scientifically possible. The ideas of Alcubierre and White are
mostly mathematical. It will take many years to apply these ideas. An actual
warp drive require a 100 years of work! Still, White is beginning to test
the ideas on a little scale at NASA. This is one small step toward deep
space travel.
WHY TRAVELLING FASTER THAN LIGHT IS
IMPORTANT EINSTEIN’S IDEAS
Star Wars KEY PEOPLE ALBERT EINSTEIN
GREATEST PHYSICIST EVER MIGUEL ALCUBIERRE THEORETICAL PHYSICIST HAROLD
“SONNY” WHITE NASA SCIENTIST ALCUBIERRE’S IDEAS Miguel Alcubierre says we
can build a special warp bubble around a spaceship that will make the ship
look like it is moving faster than light speed. The Alcubierre warp bubble
bends space-time close to the ship. If you are on the inside of the bubble,
you will not see any change. Outside the bubble, space- time shrinks in the
front and space-time expands in the back.
So the Alcubierre drive does not
propel the ship superfast, like in the movies. Instead, this drive bends or
warps space-time around the ship. This type of drive makes it seem like we
are breaking the light barrier, but we are not. Einstein’s ideas still work.
In the movies, when the pilot of a spaceship wants it to go really fast, the
pilot puts the ship in a high gear called a warp drive or hyper-drive. But
we know that no ship can actually speed up to light speed. If it did go that
fast, then strange things would happen as Einstein said.
Albert Einstein said that nothing can
travel faster than the speed of light! As a rocket speeds up, three things
will change: Time slows down on the rocket ship. Distance will get shorter
on the rocket ship. The rocket’s mass (the amount of matter in it) will
increase. As the rocket’s speed reaches the speed of light, things get even
stranger: Time will stop. The rocket will become so tiny you cannot see it.
The rocket’s mass will increase to infinity. No human has ever seen these
strange things. Therefore, Einstein said that nothing can break the light
barrier.
Hyperdrive
The ability to perform “faster than light” travel is another staple of sci-fi.
In Star Wars, this tech is given the name “hyperdrive”. According to the
Star Wars canon, this is performed by sending “hypermatter” particles to
hurl the vessel into “hyperspace”, while preserving the ship’s mass/energy
profile. This tech requires the vessel to travel along a plotted course and
translate between normal space and “hyperspace”.
As Einstein tells us traveling faster than light is not possible as mass and
energy are directly related. As you approach the speed of light, your mass
will increase accordingly. A possible solution to the mass, energy and gas-missile
issues might be to take space “with” you rather than try to “smash” through
it.
Gerard Cleaver, Professor of Physics at Baylor University does hint at a
possibility to overcome this. General relativity states that objects cannot
travel faster than light as measured in local surrounding space. Cleaver
states that the theory “places no limits on the speeds at which space itself
expands or contracts”. This could be a loophole that we could exploit to get
around general relativity constants. This technology would mean that the
ship would contract space-time in front of it and re-expand it behind. A bit
like the wake of a ship, but with the fabric of space rather than fluids.
Cleaver expands on this “Objects inside the warp bubble would be at rest
with regard to the warp bubble but would also be moving faster than the
speed of light with regard to the surrounding space outside the bubble.”
Pretty cool.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Faster than Light Travel Part 1: The Mathematical
Existence and Potential Application of Warp Drives
Dec 3, 2016
Faster than light travel is one of the
most ambitious dreams embodied in modern science fiction literature. Our
current line of technological development cannot hope to travel to other
star systems for at least several generations. Assuming a universal limit of
the speed of light, it would take at least 4.37 years for an astronaut to
travel to Alpha Centauri, our closest non-solar star. Even with future
engineering developments, it will be impossible for humanity to ever explore
the universe or even the galaxy with this speed limit.
In 1994, Miguel Alcubierre published a
paper that mathematically modelled an effect consistent with general
relativity that could move an object (i.e. a spaceship) at an arbitrary
speed unbounded by the speed of light. The spaceship would be propelled
forward by contracting the spacetime ahead of it and expanding the spacetime
behind it. The intermediary ground between the contraction and expansion
would create a ‘warp bubble’ as shown in the original figure created by
Alcubierre:
Figure 1. The expansion of spacetime by a warp drive traveling in the
positive-x direction, where ρ is a projection of the y and z-axes onto one
axis; ...
The most impressive component of this
warp drive model is that the passage of time is identical for an observer
and the traveler, meaning that no relativistic time dilation occurs in this
mode of travel (Alcubierre 1994).
The issue with warp drives, however, is
that the warp bubble requires a large source of negative energy and in fact
violates all three energy conditions (Alcubierre 1994). Lobo and Visser
concluded that these violations persist no matter what the travel speed is,
squandering any hopes that slower drives might be able to use normal matter
as fuel (Lobo et al. 2004). Pfenning and Ford calculated that in order to
transport a single human, the negative energy of the warp bubble wall would
not only need to be concentrated in a thickness comparable to the Planck
length, but also be ten magnitudes more energetic than the total mass of the
visible universe (Pfenning et al. 1997). In any practical sense, the
original Alcubierre warp drive is impossible to create.
More recent work by Broeck has shown that
the energy requirements of the drive can be significantly reduced by
altering the geometry of the warp bubble. Broeck’s example resulted in an
energy with the equivalent mass of several suns – still nothing feasible,
but much more so than ten billion visible universes (Broeck 1999).
Further work by Natário on the motion of
the bubble showed that the spacetime around the warp bubble does not
necessarily need to be expanded and contracted. Instead, the motion can be
viewed as sliding around the bubble around the rest of spacetime (Natário
2002). This generalized form of warp movement seems to have no reaction
fueling it; in fact, Lobo and Visser determined that any form of this warp
drive would be a “reaction-less drive” (Lobo et al. 2004).
A reactionless warp drive powered by a
source of negative energy is certainly many generations away from its
invention. Major functional components of this drive have yet to be
discovered, and even then they are currently impossible to efficiently
utilize. More discoveries about dark energy may lead to the creation of a
field of spacetime in which all three energy conditions can be broken. Until
then, humans will have to stick to rockets.
----------------------------------------------------
SPACE TRAVEL
THE CONNECTION BETWEEN SPACE DRIVES IN
SCIENCE FICTION AND SCIENCE
Traveling at near or faster than the speed of light has always been an
intriguing idea to scientists and dreamers.
Just that thought has been around ever since we realized how far everything
actually is in space.
With current technology, it would take an unfathomable amount of time to
reach the nearest star outside of our
solar system. For example, the Voyager I spacecraft which was launched in
1977 has traversed the furthest distance
from Earth, out of any manmade object. With recent technology, in the past
30 or 40 years, the Voyager I
represents the limit of how fast we can actually travel, moving at a pitiful
.0006% of the speed of light.
This is a humbling fact, keeping in mind that Alpha Centauri (closest
neighboring star) is just over four light
years away from us. So for those not familiar with this form of measurement,
traveling at 100% of the speed of
light, or 1c, it would take over four years (from the static observer's
perspective) for that spacecraft to get
there! Now if you think that is hard to grasp, then just hold on, because
it's going to get even more mind
boggling.
The Problem
In pretty much all science fictional stories, the human race has figured
out a way to solve the problem of
covering vast distances in much shorter periods of time. For example, in the
book, The Forever War a 'Tachyon'
drive is used to transport soldiers and traverse around the universe at
whopping speeds up to about .97c or 97%
the speed of light. This is a significant improvement from actual technology,
but in fact still isn't fast
enough to get anywhere in a reasonably short period of time. This opens up
the discussion of "faster than light"
travel. There are ideas that have been utilized in plenty of science fiction
stories that are for the most part,
still science fiction. However, just because they aren't current reality,
this hasn't stopped physicists in trying
to figure out ways to actually make sense of them.
Means of Travel - Examining the Warp Drive
The most infamous sci-fi drive is the Warp Drive from Star Trek,
but some other ideas worth mentioning include
wormholes and some sort of hyperspace drive. The basic idea of a Warp drive
is not too hard to comprehend.
Once aboard some sort of spacecraft, you create some sort of 'bubble' that
surrounds your craft completely.
Once that is done, the real action can take place! To start your warp, in
front of the bubble your drive will
be used to compress the fabric of space-time, while expanding it behind you.
Once that is done, you can proceed
forward at a relatively slow speed along the compressed section. Once the
drive is disengaged, space-time
returns to the way it was previously and your spacecraft can ride out the
compressed part like a surfer on a
wave. Here's what warping space can be visually perceived as:
In order to gather and coalesce ideas in a productive manner, NASA
decided to start a new project. In 1997
NASA's Breakthrough Propulsion Physics (BPP) Project was initiated. This
essentially laid some decent
groundwork for what we can expect to accomplish in the generations to come.
As the former head of this project,
here is Marc Millis with his outlook on space drives:
Fragility of the Human Body
So say we could get a space craft to travel at near light speeds, how
would that feel? Well it would all depend
the rate of acceleration or change in velocity. The greatest acceleration
that the human body could endure is
roughly 3 to 5 times Earth's accleration (referred to as a 'g'). If we want
to endure more than that, we need to
employ a method that reduces the stresses done to the body. It is common
with fighter pilots to use 'g suits'
to help with this. Current technology allows for sustained accelerations of
up to 6 g's which is still not good
enough to combat conditions of space travel. In The Forver War, they
loaded everyone into capsules which was a
decent method to solve this problem. In the story, the method of injecting
certain drugs into the body, and
filling the capsule with special fluid was employed. The interesting thing
is this might work! (but we'll leave
this one up to the medical experts)...
Traverse Through Black Holes?
Again, referencing The Forver War, because their Tachyon drive
couldn't accelerate them beyond the speed of
light, an alternate and much faster method of travel had to be explored. So
called 'collapsars,' which can be
thought of as what is commonly referred to as a black hole, were utilized.
There are currently many scientists
researching the concept of a black hole with all of the strange phenomena
that occur to objects near them.
Currently it is believed that once something has reached the 'event horizon'
(or point of no return) that
something will be stretched, atom-by-atom, into an infinitely long string,
similar to spaghetti. Bringing it
back to sci-fi, black holes are often thought of as being direct passages or
links to distant locations, times,
or even other dimensions. These ideas sound unreasonable, but in fact might
not be too far from the truth.
Due to a black hole's immense gravitational pull (so strong that light
cannot even escape), there is no telling
what it is completely capable of. To help wrap your mind around these
concepts here is a short clip from the
History Channel's The Universe:
Relativity & Time Dilation
Now when comparing science to science fiction, for different reasons,
there are many technicalities that will be
overlooked, usually for sake of a story. The main technical and probably
most interesting aspect that can be
easily overlooked is the concept of time dilation. The basic idea stems from
Einstein's Theory of Relativity.
Time dilation refers to the concept that as an object is moving faster and
faster approaching near the speed
of light, time actually slows down (from an outsider's frame of reference).
A traveler aboard this hypothetical
spacecraft will feel time passing at a normal rate, but it would seem to the
traveler that everything outside
of the spacecraft is moving much slower relative to them, hence the Theory
of Relativity. This is a compelling
concept only explored by a few science fiction stories. If we possessed the
ability to travel at near light
speed, yes it is true that we could get places much faster, but the more
time spent at that incredible speed,
builds a greater and very noticeable gap between crew aboard the vessel and
everyone else back home on Earth.
This concept is so interesting because it sounds like something straight out
of science fiction, but in fact is
considered science and accepted by most if not all physicists. In a sense,
time dilation can be viewed as a
method of time travel. If one would want to venture to the future, just
catch the next vessel moving at .99c
and return home in 5 years. By then, approximately 7 times that would have
passed on Earth putting you 30
years into the future! Still confused? Here is a quick and dirty explanation
of time dilation with the Theory
of Relativity:
IN THE END
So in certain ways, the ideas that science fiction brings us is not too
far from current science. In other
ways it clearly is. As long as the human race has the will and drive to aim
for the stars, there's no reason
we won't eventually get there. All in good time...
Written by Shawn Wittick, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. 2012.
---------------------------------------------------------
Hyperdrive (FTL Warp Drive)
Traveling Faster Than the Speed
of Light Could Be a Reality
By: David Russell Schilling | September 11th, 2013
Warp drive as we know it has always been a science fiction fantasy, until
now. Scientist and Professor Miguel Alcubierre, National University of
Mexico, a self-avowed science fiction fan, while listening to an episode of
Star Trek in college, began to think about the idea of “warp drive” in the
context of the Theory of Relativity. After a weekend of intense calculations,
he discovered an equation that would allow a spaceship to travel faster than
the speed of light without violating any of the principles of relativity.
Alcubierre published his equation in the “Classical and Quantum Gravity
Journal,” explaining how a spaceship could travel across time and space and
travel to the ends of the universe in days, weeks or months rather than
decades, centuries or millennia.
Negative Energy Compresses Space
Like a modern day escalator, a spaceship would be pushed through space and
time without accelerating and without moving away from its local environment.
The space surrounding the ship would be stationary but the space behind it
would expand and space in front of it contract, “bending space time” to
bring the spaceship closer and closer to its destination.
To make space behind the spaceship expand, it must be filled up with
“negative energy.” In short, if enough negative energy could be created,
warp drive could occur. Steve Lamoreaux, Atomic Physicist at Yale University
has spent the past 15 years proving that “negative energy” exists; if he is
correct, the energy needed to make warp drive a reality exists.
Traveling Across The Universe In Seconds, Rather Than Centuries Or Millenia
NASA’s Advanced Propulsion Team is testing the same phenomena in its hopes
that someday we will be able to truly explore the universe rather than see
it from afar.
Will we ever
achieve interstellar travel?
(Yıldızlararası
seyahat edebilecek miyiz?)
Düz uzay/zaman çizgilerini temsil eden uzay/zaman matriksi (kalıbı).
Uzay/zaman çizgileri aracın ön tarafına doğru huni şeklinde bükülüyor.
Uzay/zaman çizgileri aracın ön tarafına doğru huni şeklinde bükülürken
arka tarafında şişirilen bir balon gibi uzay/zaman çizgileri şişiyor
(genişliyor). Bu da warp sürüşünü mümkün kılıyor. Böylece araç arka
tarafından negatif bir eğrilik(antigravity) ile öne doğru itilirken , ön
tarafında ise pozitif bir eğrilikten (gravity) dolayı bir çekimsel
olarak ileri doğru çekilmektedir. Uzayın kendisi aracımızı(uzay gemisi)
arkadan iterken ön taraftanda çekmektedir.
aracımızın çevresinden merkeze doğru olan yerçekimsel küre
içinde meydana gelecek ezilmeyi engellemek için negatif bir enerji
alanı yaratarak çekimsel çökmeyi dengeliyoruz. Böylece aracın ön tarafında
uzay daralırken arka tarafındada genişlemektedir. Tam ortada yer alan
aracımızda genişleme ve daralmanın etkilerini dengeleyen bir negatif enerji
bulutu ile kendisini sarmıştır.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The ship will warp the space around it...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Discovery.Ch.Sci.Fi.Science.01of25.How.to.Explore.the.Universe
Ep.1 How to Explore the Universe
Ep. 1) Dr Michio Kaku shows how we might one day explore the Universe like
the crew of the Starship Enterprise. He visits Brookhaven National
laboratory's atom smasher where particles are accelerated to near light
speed. A loophole in Einstein's theory of relativity is revealed when
Professor Miguel Alcubierre explains how Star Trek provided inspiration for
his breakthrough equation showing how a spacecraft could travel at warp
speed. Kaku demonstrates the mysterious properties of negative energy and
looks at some ground breaking work by Professor Federico Capasso at Harvard
University. Crossing the universe in the blink.
Exploring the universe on a ship that can boldly go where no man has gone
before isn't just a sci fi dream. Dr Michio Kaku reveals how we really could
one day build a warp drive and set out on our own star trek.
How to build a Warp Drive
WARP DRIVE • Completely Theoretical form of Faster than light travel but
plausible and within the laws of physics.
• Nothing can move faster than light however shortly after the big
bang space itself expanded faster than light travels
• The drive would work by contracting the space in front of the craft and
expanding the space behind it the ship would then ride this wave of space-time
• Because the ship itself is not moving but space is moving around the ship
faster than light no acceleration or extreme tidal forces are felt by the
crew
• This drive could theoretically reach the nearest stars in mere weeks
however this faster than light travel may leave the door open to time travel
to the future
• This technology would require a truly exotic fuel either dark matter that
has properties of negative mass or by harnessing the “dark energy” that has
been accelerating the expansion of the universe since the big bang.
THEORETICAL SOLUTIONS TO INTERSTELLAR TRAVEL
INTRODUCTION
Biology on planet earth is driven by the evolution and Adaptation of life
forms to an environment in order to secure survival of the next generation.
While the Human race has only been around on this planet for a tiny fraction
of it’s entire history, we have continually grown into an apex species like
none seen on this planet previously. All great inventions and innovations of
the human mind have been in the pursuit of breaking bonds with our current
surroundings in order to maximize survival. This insurance of survival for
our Species lies in breaking the bonds of our solar system and making
interstellar space travel achievable within the next 100 years.
The space in between stars are on the order of light years, which makes
travel between them by current means nearly impossible. One light year is
the distance light travels in one year, with a single photon moving at
186,282 mi/s, and the nearest star system 4.3 light years away Voyager 2
would take 500 years to arrive by conventional means. • Only by achieving a
significant fraction of the speed of light will manned travel between the
stars become attainable in a single human lifespan. However due to time
dilation predicted by Einstein’s Theory of relativity the closer an object
approaches to luminal speed the slower its clock moves relative to another
slower object.
THEORETICAL INTERSTELLAR PROPULSION SYSTEMS
In order for interstellar travel to be possible new and exotic ways of
travel must be proposed that are practical and efficient. Three possible
interstellar propulsion systems are the • Fusion Drive • Solar Sail • Warp
Drive All of which present their own advantages and disadvantages
WARP DRIVE • Completely Theoretical form of Faster than light travel but
plausible and within the laws of physics. • Nothing can move faster than
light however shortly after the big bang space itself expanded faster than
light travels • The drive would work by contracting the space in front of
the craft and expanding the space behind it the ship would then ride this
wave of space-time • Because the ship itself is not moving but space is
moving around the ship faster than light no acceleration or extreme tidal
forces are felt by the crew • This drive could theoretically reach the
nearest stars in mere weeks however this faster than light travel may leave
the door open to time travel to the future • This technology would require a
truly exotic fuel either dark matter that has properties of negative mass or
by harnessing the “dark energy” that has been accelerating the expansion of
the universe since the big bang.
Above: It is also known that the universe currently expands because space
itself is expanding. Additionally, the rate in which galaxies move apart is
accelerating. This is known as "Hubble's Law". It is hypothesized that one
possible ultimate fate of the universe is that if space accelerates so
quickly in the future, that all galaxies will move apart faster than the
speed of light, which virtually entraps them in a 'prison'.
What does this mean?
Above: It means that Monsters, by the virtue of their 300+ IQs (possible
because their craniums are so large, and must therefore contain an Einstein-like
intellect), must have created a machine like the above, where they cause
space in front of their UFO to contract, while expanding the space behind.
This is done so using negative matter, which can cause negative gravity to
occur at the back of the craft, while using normal gravity to contract space
in front.
The Concept of Negative Energy in Physics Simplified for You
Negative energy is a mysterious concept in the world of physics that appears
to be more suited to the pages of a science fiction novel than in real life.
In this Buzzle post, we verify the plausibility of its existence and look at
some implications of its existence.
Total Energy in the Universe
The gravitational potential energy which keeps two pieces of matter in
contact with one another must be negative since it takes positive energy to
pull them apart. Considering the universe to be approximately uniform, one
can show that the total negative gravitational energy in it would exactly
cancel out the total positive energy represented by matter. Hence the
universe as a whole has zero total energy in it.
"God does not play dice!" - these were the words famously uttered by the
great Albert Einstein in order to express his displeasure at the bizarre
implications of the uncertainty principle. After all, he said, how could the
world around us be so random that even with physics, it would be impossible
to make any prediction about it with certainty? It baffled him to no extent!
The science of quantum mechanics has this inherent quality of confounding
the common sense of even the most brightest ones among us, and the
Heisenberg's uncertainty principle is at the very center of all this
confusion. Among the several befuddling concepts that have over the years
arisen from the uncertainty principle, negative energy is one of them. But
it isn't simply a physics trick. We must realize that just like all the
other, seemingly impossible concepts and theories in quantum mechanics, it's
as real as life itself. It goes a long way in showing that even Einstein
could be wrong, and that God does in fact play dice all the time!
In the following sections, we shall explore what negative energy in quantum
physics is. But before going any further, I must implore you to keep your
mind open to new concepts and thoughts, because in the world of quantum
mechanics, rigidity of thought and imagination, has absolutely no place.
Conception of Negative Energy and Dirac Sea
In 1928, British physicist Paul Dirac formulated an equation for describing
the dynamics of electrons. This equation was very successful in predicting
the spin as well as magnetic moment of an electron. However, it also put
forth a rather peculiar proposition―an electron could have either positive
or negative kinetic energy. Also, when Paul's exclusion principle was taken
into consideration, the vision of an entire sea having an infinite number of
electrons with negative kinetic energy could be conjured up.
This was the first time physics had indicated towards the existence of
negative energy. But how could energy ever be negative. And if negative
energy did exist, why don't we see or feel its presence? To explain his
findings, Dirac stated that in nature, the quantum states of positive energy
are exactly balanced out by the quantum states of negative energy. As such,
the net effect remains zero, and so we are unable to see or feel the effects
of negative energy in normal everyday conditions. However, he did propose
that if an ideal vacuum could be created wherein all effects of positive
energy were eliminated, then the presence of the Dirac sea and therefore of
negative energy could be verified.
But the creation of an ideal vacuum seemed impossible at the time, and so
the existence of negative energy could not be proven. This cast a large
shadow of doubt on the very concept of negative energy. Many physicists even
began questioning the likelihood of its existence, until Dutch physicist
Hendrik Casimir, through an innovative experiment, was able to show that it
was in fact real and very much present.
The Discovery of Negative Energy: Casimir Effect
Though his equation predicted the existence of negative energy, Dirac was
unable to experimentally verify this prediction. Thus, negative energy
remained only a theory until in 1948, Hendrik Casimir proposed an experiment
which could display the effects produced by negative energy.
Casimir argued that if the effects of gravity and electromagnetism were
nullified, a nearly pure vacuum would be created within which, the effects
of negative energy would manifest in an observable manner in the form of
something known as the Casimir effect. The following shows how the Casimir
effect could be observed experimentally.
Experimental setup
Two extremely thin and lightweight, flat metal plates are placed in vacuum.
They are arranged parallel to one another and are kept at a very small
distance apart. Typically, the distance between them needs to be as small as
10-6m for the Casimir effect to work.
Their light weight greatly reduces the effect of gravity and being within a
vacuum, no other force can act on them. Lastly, both of these plates are
earthed using wires connected to the ground in order to remove any charge
upon them. Thus, the effects of electricity and magnetism too are nullified,
and the two plates are now in an almost pure vacuum.
Observation
When the above setup is created, a very strange effect takes place. Without
the presence of any energy or application of any external force,
spontaneously the two parallel plates move closer, until the distance
between them becomes zero and they touch each other.
Inference
The above observation is the result of the Casimir effect. According to
Dirac, negative energy exists all around us, but its presence cannot be
determined since it is balanced out by the positive energy present
everywhere. The vacuum created in the above experiment is pure vacuum. All
effects of external positive energy and force have been removed or nullified.
Thus, negative energy is allowed to manifest freely and within the vacuum
chamber, the hypothetical Dirac sea of negative energy is created. The
following is a theoretical explanation of this.
According to the uncertainty principle, an area of nothingness (a vacuum),
can be full of an infinite number of microscopic particles known as virtual
particles. These particles pop in and out of existence, appearing and
disappearing randomly. Together, they comprise the Dirac sea. Each of these
particles has a wave associated with it, which can be imagined to be like
the waves in a sea. These waves together apply pressure on the flat metal
plates from all the sides.
Now, as there is only a small space present in between the metal plates, a
limited number of particles having negative energy are able to manifest
there. This causes a small pressure on the metal plates due to the
associated wave of each particle to act from inside out.
Comparatively, a much larger number of particles with negative energy are
able to manifest in the external space around the metal plates. Their
associated waves together applies a much larger pressure in the outside-in
direction, resulting in the two metal plates being pushed closer until they
come in contact.
Thus, the Casimir effect shows that the difference in the energy densities
between and around two uncharged metal plates causes them to attract towards
each other. Since the entire system was originally in a state of zero energy
and no positive energy was introduced into it, the energy expended in doing
the work of moving the plates together must be negative. Thus, the Casimir
effect proves the existence of negative energy density in a vacuum.
This Casimir effect was practically verified for the first time in an
experiment similar to the one above, which was overseen by M.J. Sparnaay,
and later again, in 1997, by Steve K. Lamoreaux, who paired a single plate
with another one which was a section of a nearly precise sphere.
Applications of Negative Energy
Since its conception and experimental verification, the concept of negative
energy has gone on to become an integral part of modern physics. The
following are a few examples which highlight the importance of negative
energy in the modern times.
Black Holes
In the year 1974, Stephen W. Hawking of the University of Cambridge made his
prediction that a black hole, which has a gravity so strong that it doesn't
allow even light to escape, will actually evaporate by emitting radiation.
This phenomenon which later came to be known as Hawking radiation, seemed to
contradict the laws of physics as the black hole had always been considered
to be a one-way street. In order to explain this, Hawking stated that the
production of positive energy in the form of radiation from the black hole,
was accompanied by the flow of negative energy into it, thus leading to the
conservation of energy.
When virtual particles pop up in the vicinity of the extreme space-time
curvature near the edge of a black hole, i.e. the event horizon, one might
move away from the black hole and one into it. If a particle having negative
energy falls into the black hole, it will cause the black hole's mass to
decrease. If this continues to happen for a long enough time duration, the
black hole's mass would keep on reducing until it becomes zero and the black
hole evaporates.
Above: The speed of light, as we know, is about 186000 miles per second, and
is believed to be static. However, this is not true at the quantum level.
According to Steven Hawking, in "A Brief History of Time", he wrote that the
speed of light can travel faster than that amount at the quantum level,
since space is of a "lower density" at times due to the quantum fluctuations.
I have been wondering: if the monsters are of extraterrestrial origins, and
were said to have arrived in Shear only recently, then it must mean that
they are an advanced civilisation capable of using warp drive.
This thread is a consideration of the lore involving how monsters use
interstellar travel to travel to Shear: Quantum Foam!
Above: In the diagram above, it is known as vacuum as we know it is not
strictly a vacuum. It is far from being empty space. If one zooms in very
closely, at the planck scale, one can see "quantum foam", which are
fluctuations in space itself with an extreme amount of energy.
Above: This energy of the vacuum is sometimes referred to as "zero-point
energy" which is demonstrated in the Casimir effect, which causes energy to
flow between two very closely placed plates, almost as though it is a
passive form of energy.
However, this is not true at the quantum level. According to Steven Hawking,
in "A Brief History of Time", he wrote that the speed of light can travel
faster than that amount at the quantum level, since space is of a "lower
density" at times due to the quantum fluctuations.
Above: At the quantum level, quantum foam can fold itself into many bizarre
forms, such as in the case of wormholes, which allows light to travel inter-dimensionally,
by "cutting space" short so that it has to travel less distance to reach
another destination.
Wormholes
Another important concept where negative energy plays a vital role is the
curvature of space-time, known as the wormhole. A wormhole is basically a
hypothetical tunnel in space-time that connects one region in space to
another. This could act as a cosmic shortcut which could be used to reach
regions of the universe that are several light years away in only a matter
of hours or days. However, the laws of physics state that a wormhole large
enough to accommodate a spaceship would collapse under its own gravity so
rapidly that even a beam of light wouldn't have time enough to traverse it.
The concept of negative energy comes as a solution to this problem. Negative
energy is gravitationally repulsive, and hence using it, a wormhole can be
kept open, making room for the possibility of interstellar space travel.
[ Star drives don’t exist…yet.
To break out of the solar system, humans will need to break the budget – or
physics itself.
The fastest thing humans have ever built is a probe called Helios 2. It’s
dead now, but if sound travelled in space, you’d hear it screaming as it
whips around the sun at speeds of more than 250,000 miles per hour. That’s
almost 100 times faster than a bullet, but even at that velocity it would
take some 19,000 years to reach Earth’s first stellar neighbour, Alpha
Centauri. It’d be a multigenerational ship, and nobody dreams of going to
space because it’s a nice place to die of old age.
To beat the clock, you need power – and lots of it. Maybe you could mine
Jupiter for enough helium-3 to fuel nuclear fusion – after you’ve figured
out fusion engines. Matter- antimatter annihilation is more scalable, but
smashing those pugilistic particles together is dangerous. “You’d never want
to do that on Earth,” says Les Johnson, technical assistant for NASA’s
Advanced Concepts Office, which works on crazy starship ideas. “You do that
in deep space, so if you have an accident, you don’t destroy a continent.”
Too intense? How about solar power? All you’d need is a sail the size of
Texas.
Far more elegant would be hacking the universe’s source code – with physics.
The theoretical Alcubierre drive would compress space in front of your craft
and expand space behind it so the stuff in between – where your ship is –
effectively moves faster than light. Tweaking the Alcubierre equations gets
you a Krasnikov tube, an interstellar subway that shortens your return trip.
All aboard? Not quite. Humanity will need a few more Einsteins working at
places like the Large Hadron Collider to untangle all the theoretical knots.
“It’s entirely possible that we’ll make some discovery that changes
everything,” Johnson says. “But you can’t count on that breakthrough to save
the day.” If you want eureka moments, you need to budget for them. That
means more cash for NASA – and the particle physicists. Until then, Earth’s
space ambitions will look a lot like Helios 2: stuck in a futile race around
the same old star.
—Nick Stockton ]
Warp Drive
Einstein's special theory of relativity states that nothing can exceed the
speed of light. It is a cosmological limit that cannot be exceeded or even
matched. But even if we were to achieve speeds close to that of light, it
would still take us several thousand years to traverse the great expanse of
the universe. The concept of negative energy, however, provides a way around
this problem by allowing for the possibility of creating a warp drive.
In 1994, Mexican physicist, Miguel Alcubierre Moya found a solution to
Einstein's equations that can be used to build a warp drive comprising a
warped space-time bubble that would transport a spacecraft at superluminal
speeds from one region in space to another. Calculations have shown that
negative energy would be required to create and maintain the warp bubble.
This warp bubble would house the spacecraft and convey it at arbitrary
speeds. It would do so not by actually propelling the spacecraft, but rather
by manipulating space-time. The space-time in front of the bubble would
contract, reducing the distance from the destination. While that at its rear
would expand, increasing the distance from the start. The spacecraft itself
would remain still inside the bubble. Thus, without violating the absolute
speed limit, the user would be able to achieve superluminal speed.
Thus, negative energy is a proven fact in physics that is known to exist all
around us and everywhere in the Universe. This concept has found several
applications in theoretical physics and may very well be the key for
unlocking interstellar space travel one day.
Casimir Effect: a physical force arising from a quantized field, for example
between two uncharged plates. This can produce a locally mass negative
region of space-time that could stabilize a wormhole to allow faster than
light travel.
Solution: Negative energy
This one's a bit of a stretch, and I'm probably mangling the physics, but
hey - that's what this whole post is about! Quantum physics is a graceful
gazelle, and I'm a hyena. Let's chow down.
This relates to Warp Drive (see above). Basically, gravity produces negative
energy, which is why mass is attracted by it. It's sort of an odd yin-yang
duality, where mass is the positive yang, with gravity as its shadow - the
two intertwined and never around without the other. Positive energy rushes
toward negative energy, pulled toward its center.
Now, if warp drive is theoretically possible, based on the manipulation of
negative and positive energy fields to warp spacetime, and positive and
negative energy correlate to mass and gravity respectively, one might
postulate that you can generate gravity by creating negative energy. And
that you might, through the use of exotic material, manipulate that quasi-gravity
into any shape you wanted.
Consider this: negative energy plates placed on the inner surface of a
starship. Essentially it would be a shielded, layered matrix of exotic
matter, with the "active" surface generating a negative energy field, while
the "nonactive" surface would have a positive energy field canceling out its
effect. The negative energy would be projected to only effect the surface of
that plate.
This finagling is necessary because a spacetime is three-dimensional (well,
4-D) though we represent it as a flat sheet: a point of negative energy
would pull on everything around it. You'd have to do some clever warping to
ensure it only affects a certain area, i.e. the active surface. There's also
the question of whether producing negative energy would give off a fatal
amount of radiation, or use up too much power. What's necessary is a sort of
semipassive system: exotic materials that naturally produce negative energy
when a light current runs through them, then disarrange when the current is
turned off - sort of like LED crystals.
Casimir Effect and negative energy
In the original paper by Casimir (1948), he showed a mathematical formula
for calculating the force per square meter on metal plates in a vacuum. This
is:
F = Hc (pi^2/240)(1/a^4)
Where:
F is the force on the plates (per square meter)
H is Planck’s constant divided by 2pi
c is the speed of light
a is the distance between the plates
The constant terms correspond to a value of:
1.3 x 10^-27 Jm
The force per meter squared corresponds to
F = 1.3 x 10^-27 Jm (1/a^4)
Where a is the plate separation in meters.
This is equivalent to energy per unit cubed because:
N/m^2 x m/m = J/m^3
Then:
1.3 x 10^-27 Jm (1/a^4) = ρv
Where ρv = vacuum energy density excluded.
The amount of negative mass excluded (mv) depends on the volume and density
of the energy excluded.
mv = ρv (a)(A)
where:
a = distance between the plates
A = area of the plates
The mass of the metal used for the plates depends on the volume and area and
density of the metal.
mm = ρm(d)(A)
where:
mm = mass of metal
ρm = density of metal
d = thickness of metal
A = area of plates
In order to get a difference in vacuum energy density, the plates would have
to be separated by some small distance. The ratio of the mass of the vacuum
energy density to the mass of the plates can be set to determine what the
separation distance would have to be in order to have a net negative energy.
Let’s say that the metal is one atom thick, or 143 pm thick.
The ratio of vacuum mass to metal mass can then be:
mv /mm
This corresponds to:
mv /mm = ρv (a)(A)/ ρm(d)(A)
From this we obtain:
mv /mm = ρv (a)/ ρm(d)
Further:
mv /mm = 1.3 x 10^-27 Jm (1/a^4)(a)/ ρm(d)
mv /mm = 1.3 x 10^-27 Jm (1/a^3)/ ρm(d)
mv /mm = 1.3 x 10^-27 Jm/(a^3 ρm(d))
Setting the mass ratio to 1.1 (making the vacuum mass excluded slightly more
than the mass of the metal, thus the system would have a negative energy
density):
1.1 = 1.3 x 10^-27 Jm 1/(a^3 ρm(d))
(1.1)(a^3 ρm(d))= 1.3 x 10^-27 Jm
a^3 = 1.3 x 10^-27 Jm /((1.1)( ρm(d))
____________________
a = 3√(1.2 x 10^-27 Jm)/( ρm(d))
If the density of the material (ρm) is that of aluminum (2.7 x 10^3 kg/m^3),
then the energy density (Joules per meter cubed) (ρm) of the metal is:
2.7 x 10^3 kg/m^3 x 10^17 J /1 kg = 2.7 x 10^20 J/m^3
The plates then need to be separated by:
______________________
a = 3√(1.2 x 10^-27 Jm)/( ρm(d))
_____________________________________________
a = 3√(1.2 x 10^-27 Jm)/( 2.7 x 10^20 J/m3 (1.43 x 10^-12 m))
______________
a = 3√ 3.1 x 10^-36 m^3
a = 1.5 x 10^-12 m or 1.5 pm
Thus, having metal plates one atom thick and separated by 1.5 pm, one could
have a net negative energy in a material. If one could find some metal or
unobtainium that was strong enough to have that much force per unit area on
it while sticking together enough to make the material stable, one could
have net negative mass. Negative mass can be used for a warp drive (Alcubierre,
1994), or a wormhole (Visser, 2003). Note that many layers makes for more
negative mass.
Note that 1.5 pm is around the vibration amplitude for molecules. Molecules
usually have bonds about 100 pm long, and they vibrate about 1 pm, but the
colder they are the less they vibrate. Thus this mechanism may only work
where it’s very cold, such as in space.
References:
Alcubierre, M. (1994). The warp drive: hyper-fast travel within general
relativity. Classical and Quantum Gravity 11:L73-L77
Casimir, H. (1948). On the attraction between two perfectly conducting
plates. Proceedings of the Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van
Wetenschappen, 51: 793-795.
Visser, M. (2003). Traversable wormholes with arbitrarily small energy
condition violations. Physical Review Letters 90: 201102.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The phenomena of the quantum domain exhibit properties which
break the fundamental laws of our physical domain. Such properties as these
include: the wave-particle duality of photons, quantum superposition,
quantum entanglement, quantum tunneling, non-locality, and uncertainty. Wave-particle
duality is a property exhibited by subatomic particles which allows them to
exist simultaneously as an abstract wave of probabilities and as a discrete
unit of matter. Superposition is a related property, which allows quantum
particles to exist simultaneously in two or more locations at once. Quantum
entanglement refers to pairs of particles being “synced up” such that they
can “communicate” with one another instantaneously, regardless of the
distance between them — thus violating the speed of light. Heisenberg’s
uncertainty principle describes the fact that it is impossible to
simultaneously know a particle’s position, “where it is,” and its momentum,
“where it’s going.” Once one is measured, the other becomes necessarily
uncertain. Contrast these properties with something from the physical world,
like an apple, and the absurdity of it all is made plain.
The existence of quantum phenomena
demonstrates the error inherent in our conventional way of looking at the
world. On our side of reality, the physical world, things are solid and
objects have definite properties. If you look at a clear drinking glass, you
will observe either that it contains liquid or that it contains no liquid.
Never will you observe both situations at once. Yet that is precisely the
kind of thing that “takes place” in the quantum world.
Perhaps the discrepancy between the quantum
and physical domains is due to a fundamental flaw in the human mode of
perception. Maybe the world brought to us by our senses and scientific
instruments really is all just an illusion, what the Buddhists and Hindus
call maya. Yet even if this is true, if existence is all just an
elaborate kind of dream, shouldn’t we still be able to reconcile our
scientific descriptions with one another. After all, they supposedly would
exist entirely inside the world of illusion. Having stemmed from our humanly
perceptions, they could never themselves reach beyond the realm of maya. The
loop must close somewhere in sight.
To close this loop, let us reconsider physics’
two main descriptive frameworks: general relativity and quantum mechanics.
Physicists have been trying to reconcile these two theories for years. It is
thought that these theories must both be correct because they’ve both
withstood some of the most rigorous experimental testing in the history of
science. There have been many attempts to unify relativity and quantum
mechanics, but despite half a centuries worth of theories, none of them seem
to be able to account for one of the most well known concepts in all of
science: gravity. Perhaps the problem of unification can be solved if we
first consider the fundamental limits of our universe. This brings us to the
work of physicist Max Planck.
The Planck Scale is the
level at which the smallest measurements of spacetime can ever be made. If
you zoom down to smaller and smaller levels of the physical word (e.g. from
a hand, to skin cells, to molecules, to atoms, to protons, to quarks, etc.)
eventually you will reach a point where no more zooming in is possible. You
would hit wall, for it would be impossible to measure any length smaller
than this. This is called the Planck length. Physicist discovered the
existence of this absolute length by extrapolating from the already known
universal physical constants (e.g. the speed of light). And just as there is
an absolute smallest length, there is an absolute smallest unit of time, and
an absolute smallest unit of mass.
Planck Length (hG ÷ c3) 1/2:
This is the quantum of length, the smallest measurement of length that has
meaning. It’s equal to 10-35 meter and is about 10-20 times the size of a
proton.
Planck Time (hG
÷ c5) 1/2: This is the quantum of time, the smallest measurement of
time that has any meaning. It is also sometime referred to as the “Planck
second.”
Planck Mass (hc
÷ G) 1/2: This is small by everyday standards, but 1019 times the mass
of a proton, and would be contained in a volume roughly 10-60 times that of
a proton. This represents an enormous density that has not occurred
naturally since the big bang.
All of these units combine to form what we
call the Planck scale. The existence of this scale leads us to conclude that
there is indeed a discernible “limit” or “boundary” to the physical world. Beyond
this horizon is the mysterious and ineffable Absolute. It
is here, at the edge of spacetime, where the unification of general
relativity and quantum mechanics can take place, and where the wisdom of
Buddhism shines through.
In order to understand how this is so, we should first
be familiar with field theories. Thus far, physicists have developed two
main types of field theories: those concerning the world of classical
physics and those concerning the world of quantum physics.
Because of the different properties of these domains of reality, classical
and quantum field theories are incompatible with one another. However, there
is a growing effort among physicists to describe a “unified field,” which
would unite the classical and quantum into one coherent framework. If
successful, this would unify all the known forces and particles, including
gravity, into one glorious mathematical theory of everything. This framework
would thus be the most fundamental description of the known universe,
reflecting the horizon beyond spacetime itself.
The concept of such an all pervasive field at
the horizon beyond spacetime is also evoked in Buddhism. Depending on the
sutra and the context of utterance, this ineffable essence of existence is
known as: Universal Mind, the dharmadhātu, dharmakaya, alayavijnana, or
tathagatagarbha. These are all merely different designations for the same
one thing, different fingers pointing at the same moon.
However, we must acknowledge that the unified
field is only a hypothetical framework. We shall, therefore, discuss the
absolute aspect of reality as if it referred to the quantum field
instead of the unified field. The distinction between the types of
fields in this case is almost irrelevant to our purposes, for both rely on
the same fundamental understanding of the universe as a field. But in
reviewing the science, we ought to follow the roads most paved. This brings
us to quantum field theory (QFT). Now we will briefly explore this and the
related concepts of quantum vacuum fluctuations and quantum foam.
In QFT, the field state with the lowest
possible energy is called the “vacuum state.” When there is a temporary
change in the amount of energy in the field, it is an “excitation.” These
excitations give rise to particles. Another term for such an excitation is
“quantum fluctuation,” or to be more precise “quantum vacuum fluctuation.”
And according to physicist John Wheeler, the totality of all the quantum
vacuum fluctuations gives rise to the “quantum foam.”
The idea of quantum foam views all the waves and particles of
the physical world as simply fluctuations on the surface of the quantum
field. The metaphor of a body of water and the waves on its surface comes in
handy here; only instead of waves, imagine the white foamy surface that
sometimes arises in a pot of boiling water. Quantum foam is to be thought of
as the fabric of our universe, and as mentioned earlier, one of the best
ways to think of this “fabric of the universe” is with the concept of four-dimensional
spacetime. Thus, the foam on the surface of the quantum field corresponds to
our physical world of spacetime. Its quantum nature is manifest in the fact
that our future exists merely as an abstract mathematical wave of
probabilities. The unification of the physical and the quantum is seen at
the Planck scale. The planck second can perhaps be thought of as one frame
in the movie of our spacetime world-line, i.e. our life.
Now, if we take all of the ideas discussed thus far
together, we may more clearly see the correspondence between Buddhism and
theoretical physics. Einstein’s theory of spacetime and general relativity
deals with the physical world, and corresponds to what many Buddhist
traditions call Relative Truth, as opposed to Absolute Truth.
In Buddhist terms, this theory could be said to describe samsara —
the world of birth and death, of change and suffering, and of an ego that
experiences the passage of time. On the other hand, quantum mechanics deals
with the quantum world and could be said to correspond more with what is
called Absolute Truth. For when we examine the aspect of reality where
quantum phenomena occur, our conventional understanding of the world breaks
down. Instead of observing an electron at one location or another, we find
that it is both everywhere and nowhere. The quantum world is the realm of
pure potentiality and possibility, and such words have also been used to
describe the nature of nirvana. Fluctuations in this level of reality foam
up and manifest in the physical world of spacetime, samsara.
Furthermore, consider the relation between
descriptions of Universal Mind and the underlying quantum field which guides
the unfolding of the universe. The metaphor about quantum foam, which saw of
the physical world as nothing more than excitations on the surface of an
ocean, is the very same one used in Zen Buddhism to explain the ultimate
nature of reality. One of the primary Zen sutras says, “Universal Mind is
like a great ocean, its surface ruffled by waves and surges but its depths
remaining forever unmoved.” Neither the Universal Mind or quantum field are
literally oceans, but using these comparisons is the greatest way
we have to understand such difficult concepts.
Hopefully this brief review of conceptions of
the absolute in Buddhism and theoretical physics has demonstrated how they
can be seen as merely two different pedagogical strategies used to evoke the
same one understanding of reality.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Alcubierre Metric: The Idea of a Stable Warp Field
In
1994, Miguel Alcubierre developed a geodesic equation to describe space-time warped
in a bubble around a ship, creating a "warp drive".
The warp drive proposed by Alcubierre could achieve near light speeds and
even faster-than-light speeds by distorting space-time. To accomplish this,
a theoretical device would generate a field of negative energy that would
squeeze or stretch space-time, creating the bubble. The bubble would ride
the distortions like a surfer on a wave.
As evidenced by cosmic inflation in the big bang, in certain conditions
space-time can expand so quickly that objects can move faster than the speed
of light.
The
theoretical basis for the operation of this experiment is that a massive
object causes spacetime to curve and in-turn spacetime tells a
massive object how to move and accelerate.
It is postulated that spacetime curvature can be modified
using powerful electromagnetic fields to reduce the inertial mass of
a starship.
By bending spacetime in a particular way you can make it so that
locally you move slower than light, but that the overall effect is faster-than-light
travel. The arrangement of matter and energy that allows for this is
unfortunately impossible. This diagram is from page 145 of “Gravity”, by
Hartle.
In the weakest implementation of this theory a starship can be made to
accelerate as if the inertial mass of the starship were reduced making near
light speed possible using simple electric thrusters. However, in the most
advanced implementation of this experiment when the energy of the
electromagnetic fields cause the inertial mass of a starship to become imaginary the
starship in the warp bubble will become tachyonic and will be
capable of moving faster than the speed of light. In its advanced form the
object in the warp bubble is isolated from the rest of the universe allowing
the warp bubble to become a local frame of reference where Faster Than
Light (FTL) travel does not violate the local speed of light (c).
A Tachyon is a hypothetical particle postulated to move at a velocity
greater than the speed of electromagnetic radiation, such that as the
particle accelerates it loses energy. Of the two properties rest mass and energy,
one must be real and the other imaginary. If a tachyon exists
it may be detected through the emission of Cerenkov radiation (a kind
of electromagnetic shock wave) in a particle accelerator or by cosmic ray
collisions.
The
Alcubierre metric was the first attempt to design a theoretical model that
can make some predictions about what is necessary for a warp drive.
Here also, is some plots showing some of the key aspects of the model
including the Alcubierre Metric, Light Cone and Energy density around a
hypothetical warp ship.
Miguel Alcubierre's famous warp metric is of the form:
ds2=-dt2+(dx-vsf(rs)dt)2
with
vs(t)=dxs(t)/dt
which is simply the velocity of the system, in classical mechanics this
is given similarly through v=dx(distance)/dt(time). The d term arises
through calculus, where one receives the geodesic relation for a curvature
(i.e. an arc circle) and the line path. Also note that for consistency the
terms dy2+dz2 are needed in the first equation,
however, is not needed directly to understand the warp theory, and is
removed to make the equation easier to handle. The rs term is
given through
rs(t)=[(x-xs(t))2 +y2+z2]1/2
neglecting the y and z components it is the difference between the
original coordinates and the warp drive coordinates. Where a localized
region of space is propelled through the x direction (to the right in the
figure below) by a velocity determined through the function f(rs)
which resembles a "top hat" function (given through trigonometry):
tanh(s(rs+R))-tanh(s(rs-R))
f(rs) = -----------------------------------------
2tanh(sR)
This metric supposes a contraction of spacetime in front of a body,
with a expansion behind it. The expansion and contraction can be seen
through the coordinates x and r=(y2+z2)1/2 (which
is shown in the figure below).
Using such a metric, generated around a ship, we can picture a craft
surfing what is essentially a gravitational wave front:
(1) The vertical dimension represents how much a given volume of space-time
expands or contracts in Alcubierre’s model. Positive
values [red] imply
an expansion in space-time caused by negative mass-energy density in
Einstein's theory of General Relativity. When space-time expands behind a
craft, it propels the ship forward.
(2) Inside the warp bubble, neutral space-time would leave the ship
undisturbed. Passengers would experience a zero-G environment. Artificial
gravity can be created in a portion of the ship using rotation to create a
stable centrifugal force.
(3) Negative
values [blue] imply
a contraction in space-time caused by positive (i.e."normal") mass-energy
density. The contraction balances the expansion of space-time as the bubble
moves forward. Combined this allows the ship to "surf" the gravitational
wave front.
These plots were developed using a Matlab code I wrote which is available
for copying at the end of the page.
In fact what Alcubierre proposed as a "warp drive" is using a form of
bipolar (or "dual") gravitational waves as a method of propulsion.
Gravitational waves in general relativity are planar and hence each wave
expands and contracts, however, the Alcubierre metric in principle suggest
that such an effect could be bipolar, possibly explaining the necessity for
a "negative mass-energy density" requirement.
What this metric truly suggest is that such a manipulation of space would
cause spacetime to propel a localized region of space (refereed to as a warp
bubble) by expanding and contracting the metric field. Since gravitational
radiation is believed to propagate at the speed of light the prolusion of
this space is similar in principle as to how electric and magnetic field
cause electromagnetic radiation to propagate.
Another way Alcubierre's warp geometry can be made a reality using the Van
Den Broeck metric:
ds2=-dt2+B2(rs) [(dx-vsf(rs)dt)2 +dy2+dz2]
The basis of this model is to shrink a "warp bubble" (this refers to the
flat spacetime within Alcubierre's warp metric) to microscopic proportions
to negotiate around the negative energy conditions. This is beacuse the
basis of the Alcubierre metric requires an enormous amount of negative
energy, which according to classical conservation laws shouldn't exist. So
the Broeck metric shows basically how to shrink the "Alcubierre warp bubble,"
so that it requires less "negative energy."
This however only effects the external properties of the warp bubble while
internally the effects of the bubble could be as large as one wished (this
deals with the construction of energy densites within the field). The main
benefit of this theory is that it dramatically lowers the negative energy
requirements, thereby making warp drive look feasible with an advanced
technology.
Nevertheless, such a metric requires a mass-energy density the size of
Jupiter concentrated in a region around a football field. Engineering specifications
of such a device is therefore literally in outer space and no sane person
would, or should, fund it.
Ideas about how such a device would
work are, however, free. Theoretical physics is the cheapest form of science
to fund, even cheaper than mathematics. Unlike mathematics where the
mathematician only needs a pencil, paper and a waste paper bin for the ideas
he throws out the theoretical physicist can be kept happy without the waste
paper bin!
As Richard Feynman once joked in his
lecture series on the "Character of Physical Law" "Every theoretical
physicist has at least 6 different competing theories for the same phenomena floating around
in his head, each describing the same phenomena in a different way but
coming to similar conclusions"
However, as with any theory, there are
loopholes around such scenarios as faster than light travel which lead to
paradoxes. One such paradox is that if a ship is travelling faster than c,
then should'nt it appear to be travelling backwards in time? Paradoxes
should be therefore expected as we do not fully understand the true nature
of gravitational interactions particularly with atomic or subatomic phenomena.
Physical Principles needed to "Build"
Alcubierre's Warp Drive
The
warp drive proposed by Alcubierre could achieve near light speeds and even
faster-than-light speeds by distorting space-time. To accomplish this, a
theoretical device would generate a field of negative energy that would
squeeze or stretch space-time, creating the bubble. The bubble would ride
the distortions like a surfer on a wave.
As evidenced by the uniformity of the Cosmic Microwave Background from the
Big Bang, which is explained by inflationary cosmology, space-time can
expand so quickly that objects can move faster than the speed of light.
Therefore the
current models of physics generally allow for the existence of a warp field
that can accelerate objects faster than the speed of light.
The real questions to ask is whether or not such a warp field can exist on
macroscopic scales and if so can it remain stable for long enough to observe
its effects, on light in a laser interferometer for example.
Moreover it is
unknown how it is technologically possible, i.e under what conditions does
matter allow for the creation of a negative energy density?
In 1948, Theoretical Physicists Hendrik Casimir and Dirk Polder proposed
that a negative presssure can exist due to quantum vacuum fluctuations
operating on very small scales in space and time and that if two uncharged
metallic plates in a vacuum, placed a few micrometers apart the quantum
fluctuations should create a force between the 2 plates due to a
differential vacuum energy density between the inside and outside of the
plates.
Classical Experimental Setup of the Casimir Effect
In a classical description, the lack of an external field automatically
means that there is no field between the plates, and no force would be
measured between them. However when the zero-point field is instead studied
using the QED vacuum of quantum electrodynamics, it is seen that the plates
do affect the virtual photons which constitute the field, and generate a net
force.
The force can give either an attraction or a repulsion depending on the
specific arrangement of the two plates.
Although the Casimir effect can be expressed in terms of virtual particles
interacting with the objects, it is best described and more easily
calculated in terms of the zero-point energy of a quantized field in the
intervening space between the objects.
It was not until 1997, however, that a direct experiment, by Steve Lamoreaux,
quantitatively measured the force (to within 15% of the value predicted by
the theory)
Previous work in the 1970's had observed the force qualitatively, and
indirect validation of the predicted Casimir energy had been made by
measuring the thickness of liquid helium films by Sabisky and Anderson in
1972. Subsequent experiments with liquid Helium-3 approach an accuracy of a
few percent.
Using Bose-Einstein Condensates it may also be possible to suppress
background effects occurring between individual molecules, such as the Van
Der Waals Forces, which will help to quantify the necessary boundary
conditions in the second quantisation calculations of Quantum
Electrodynamics. This would allow the effect of the vacuum to become
dominant in the medium and allow for a more direct observation of negative
energy density affecting it.
This could also allow for further studies in solid state physics on how the
Casimir effect could be controlled at the nanoscale and what physics and
applications can be gained from it.
Some of this research, although abstract, may help us to understand how
electronic transitions occur at the smallest of scales and how to suppress
noise, such as that caused by the Casimir effect, in nanoscale circuitry,
such as in the emergent fields of quantum circuitry.
Therefore by
probing some deep questions of physics, and examining theories such as "Warp
Drives" we may uncover a great deal of knowledge and gain proposals for some
interesting experiments, perhaps even stumbling upon the foundations of warp
drive itself along the way.
Warp Drive General
Realitivity (pdf)
--------------------------------
WarpShip is an update and expansion
of the IXS Enterprise, focusing on updating everything to work properly in
1.0.2, adding some futuristic functionality while maintaining good
integration with stock parts, and creating some new gameplay options but not
adding too much complexity to the game. The core of the mod is, of course,
Stevie_D's IXS Enterprise parts, but it also adds several models from KSP
Interstellar in order to give more flexibility when building your WarpShip.
However, WarpShip itself is not all that compatible with KSP Interstellar
and the parts generally do vastly different things. WarpShip also uses quite
a bit of code from the USI Alcubierre Warp Drive by RoverDude and Helaeon.
Space Warps and Wormholes
Negative matter is probably the best scenario if faster than light space
travel proves to be impossible. Unfortunately, there are still some
drawbacks. It is not clear if negative matter exists at all in our universe
(Forward speculated that it might be the dominant form of matter in distant
regions of space which seem to be almost totally devoid of galaxies; the
positive matter would gradually be "repelled" into distinct regions where it
forms normal galaxies and stars). Also, in the Breakaway scenario depicted
in the previous paragraphs, the Moon/antimoon pair would need more than a
decade to reach a significant fraction of the speed of light since the
gravity force and hence acceleration is quite small. The final result is
that the Alphans would experience lots of weird phenomena such as time
dilation as they reach old age and the Moon is moving almost at the speed of
light in deep space, but the first few decades on Alpha would be rather
boring.
Even if objects cannot move faster than the speed of light, it seems space
itself (according what is currently known about general relativity) can.
Space can expand faster than light-speed, carrying very distant galaxies
away from the solar system faster than light even if they are at rest
relative to their local neighbours in space. It seems spacetime can be made
to expand or contract at any speed. Faster-than-light space travel would
then be possible simply by expanding space behind e.g. the Moon and
contracting space in front of it.
This would be achieved by applying enormous amounts of negative energy (negative
mass, negative gravity) outside a "warp bubble" of normal surrounding the
object, see illustration above. To an observer on Alpha, the Moon itself
would appear to be moving at the same velocity in local space as it always
does but it might traverse five light years in a matter of minutes as
spacetime is "warped" (see the Space Warp episode. The Mexican physicist
Miguel Alcubierre has demonstrated that the concept is possible at least in
principle, but in practice it seems to require impossibly large quantities
of negative energy. E.g. propelling even a small ship might exceed the total
energy available in our entire galaxy. Nonetheless, we might postulate that
God-like omnipotent aliens (perhaps capable of harnessing the energy of an
entire universe) possess the capability. "Space warps" might explain how the
Moon was able to quickly leave Earth orbit and apparently reach other
distant star systems within weeks of Breakaway.
Wormholes
"Wormholes" also require negative energy. A Wormhole is a "tunnel"
connecting two different points in spacetime in such a way that a trip
through the wormhole could take much less time than a journey between the
same starting and ending points in normal space. The ending point might be
located somewhere in the past or the future of our universe, or even in a
totally different universe. In the Journey To Where episode, Koenig, Helena
and Alan apparently travel back to Earth through a wormhole, i.e. a shortcut
through space and time (wormhole like phenomena are also alluded to in Space
Warp, A Matter of Balance and The Taybor). In this case, the wormhole "mouth"
connected to Alpha would have been rapidly accelerated through space whereas
the one leading to Texas City remained almost stationary. Einstein's theory
of relativistic time dilation would result in the accelerated wormhole mouth
ageing less than the stationary one as seen by an external observer (the
Alphans have been in space only approx 18 months whereas 121 years have
passed on Earth). Thanks to the wormhole, direct communication and travel
between widely separated locations in space and time becomes possible.
Wormhole "time machines" have been described in Black Holes and Time Warps
(1994) by Kip Thorne, who notes that one significant limitation is that it
is only possible to go as far back in time as the initial creation of the
machine, i.e. this particular wormhole must have existed since at least
1339.
As with space warps, the big problem is that enormous quantities of negative
energy would be required to keep the wormhole "throat" open. Wormholes are
thought to occur naturally but they are so short-lived and small that not
even the tiniest amount of matter could pass through.
How To Travel Faster Than Light -
BBC Focus Magazine
How It Works – Warp Drive, 2016 - your future
in space.
Spaceships of science fiction - Focus
Volume one
Warp Drive Equation....
Warp Drive Çizimleri
Warp
Drive Science
Wormhole Theory (Infographic)
Warp Drive
Equations
Warp Drive Çizimleri-1
Hiçbir
yazı/ resim izinsiz olarak kullanılamaz!! Telif hakları uyarınca bu bir
suçtur..! Tüm hakları © Çetin BAL' a aittir.
Kaynak gösterilmek şartıyla siteden alıntı yapılabilir.
[
Ana Sayfa (Home)
|
UFO Technology
|
UFO's
Galleri | Kuantum
Fiziği | Roket bilimi
| Bilimsel
Makaleler |
[ Astronomy |
E-Mail
| Index
|
|
|