Warp drive

Under a warp drive (English warp " distort ", " curve " ) generally refers to a drive mechanism that travels faster than light possible by targeted curving of spacetime.

The compatibility of the drive concept with the general theory of relativity, which describes the space-time and its curvature is controversial. In the physical literature, this option will be discussed again, in which the authors achieve different results. However Warp drives are known mainly from the science-fiction literature, where they are essential for interstellar travel in various versions.

  • 3.1 General
  • 3.2 The theory of warp drive by Alcubierre and Van den Broeck
  • 3.3 Warp Drive as a space project

History of the term

The science fiction writer Gene Roddenberry used the warp drive for his television series Star Trek, in order to describe the narratives can handle large distances to other star systems plausible, without coming into conflict with the laws of relativity. The term is now well known in the science fiction, but is interpreted differently depending on the author. Although the concept of a space-time distorting drive is now generally associated with Star Trek, the basic idea is much older. So already Chester S. Geier described in his 1948 novel The Flight of the Starling a similar drive - there called " Warp Generator":

" [The warp - generator ] ... create a warp in space around the ship ... a moving ripple in the fabric of space. "

" [ The Warp generators ] ... produce a curvature in the space around the ship around ... a moving wave in the structure of space. "

The warp drive in the science fiction literature

General

Narratives that are based on mixtures of scientific and fantastic ideas that are dependent on at least avoid gross discrepancies with scientific evidence. This is for acts to play in space, very difficult because on the one hand many cosmological phenomena to be used as scenes of action, but on the other hand, must prevail Earth-like conditions in order to represent human actions and social relationships. The scenes of action needed for this in different planetary systems, nebulae, galaxies, etc. are many light years away from each other. The stories would be without the introduction of an Engine that enables travel over astronomically large distances in a short time by human standards, not consistent build.

Such trips are however excluded from the theory of relativity, since it predicts that mass movements near the speed of light are not technically feasible. Traveling with the speed of light are impossible, since they would need an infinite amount of energy. In addition, at a travel near the speed of light a time dilation occurs. A traveler ages more slowly than someone who is seen relative to him, moved more slowly (see also twin paradox ). This would result in fictional narratives to the fact that no Erdverhältnissen the modeled actions were possible. This results in the introduction of the warp drive as often related drive unit in modern fiction.

The warp drive in Star Trek

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In Stephen Baxter's novel The Last Ark, the protagonists use a warp drive. Through the use of multiple kilograms of antimatter to produce a neutrino great " pocket universe " which, however, from the perspective of the spaceship crew has a diameter of several hundred meters.

Scientific perspectives

General

In general relativity, gravity is attributed to geometrical properties of spacetime. These properties are described by the Einstein equations

This is the classic gravitational constant, the speed of light and Ricci tensor. Furthermore, the Krümmungsskalar and the metric tensor. The latter is the metric of space-time and induces a distance measure. The source of the gravitational field is the energy-momentum tensor.

The theory of warp drive by Alcubierre and Van den Broeck

A functioning warp drive must have the ability to produce a given energy -momentum tensor, which the space-time region around a spaceship around varied such that the distance between start and end point is reduced. This means nothing else than that the space-time contracted before the vessel and expands behind him. Since the space-time itself may propagate faster than light, an object could theoretically travel with in such a warp bubble. The first functioning warp metric was set up in 1994 by Miguel Alcubierre. However, it is not a strict solution of the Einstein equations, but was constructed directly with the desired properties. To satisfy the equations a negative energy density is required, which is also referred to as exotic matter.

Since the Alcubierr'sche drive in addition about ten billion times more exotic matter needed when the universe has a total of, he was accordingly improved by Van den Broeck. To this end, he closed the Alcubierre'sche warp bubble around two further bubbles. His calculations showed that the need for exotic matter by not picking up, but at least reduced to a few solar masses. The outer bladder, so the actual Alcubierre warp bubble is incurred or assumed to be very small (R = 3.10 15m ). However, the inner bladder has for a surface corresponding to a bubble diameter of 200 m. This apparent discrepancy is provided by the four-dimensional geometry. However, the matter density is as high as the matter density of the universe has been shortly after the Big Bang for both drives. Alcubierre and Broeck came from a previously non-curved space-time. The space-time, however, curved so as satisfy pursuant Sergei Krasnikov an 10 kg exotic matter to produce such a system of warp bubbles. By slight modification of the Van den Broeck metric succeeded Krasnikov to reduce the necessary amount of exotic matter to a few milligrams.

Investigations of Finazzi, Liberati and Barceló ensure the stability of the warp bubble in question.

McMonigal, Lewis and O'Byrne from the University of Sydney go due to a theoretical study on the assumption that when braking a deadly for the ambient radiation is produced.

Warp drive as space project

In September 2012, researchers discussed at a conference of the 100 - Year Starship projects new aspects and possibilities for the realization of a warp drive. The classification of the theoretical implementation of a warp drive by was "unrealistic " changed to " absolutely unworkable". This is due to calculations by NASA scientists who believe through modifications of the original concept design, to reduce the required energy demand of the drive. 2013 awarded the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics a scientific publication that dealt with possible theories and strategies for future development of a warp drive. NASA Johnson Space Center, and Dakota State University are planning to check in a series of experiments with a White - Juday warp field interferometer, a kind of Michelson-Morley interferometer Understanding.

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