For decades, we have dreamed of visiting other star systems. There is only one problem – they are so far away, with normal space light it would take tens of thousands of years to reach even the nearest one.
Physicians aren’t the kind of people who give easily, though. Give them an impossible dream, and they will give you an amazing, hypothetical way to make it happen. Maybe.
In a new study by physicist Erik Lentz from the University of Göttingen in Germany, we may have a workable solution to the flood, and this is one that could be more feasible than other compact drivers.
This is an area that attracts many bright ideas, each offering a different approach to solving a faster-than-light travel puzzle: achieving a way of overcoming something at super-distant distances above.
Hypothetical travel times to Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the Sun. (E. Lentz)
There are some problems with this idea, however. Within conventional physics, according to Albert Einstein’s theories of relevance, there is no real way to reach or exceed the speed of light, which we would need for any trip measured in light years.
That didn’t stop physics from trying to break this universal speed limit, though.
While pushing an issue beyond the speed of light will always be a major problem, space-time itself does not have such a rule. In fact, the Earth’s long spheres are already stretching away faster than its light could hope to match.
In order to bend small bubbles of space in the same way for transport purposes, we had to solve equations of affinity to create an energy density that is lower than empty space. Although this type of negative energy occurs at a quantum scale, accumulation up enough in the form of a ‘negative mass’ is still the realm for alien physics.
In addition to enabling other types of abstract potential, such as worms and time travel, negative energy could power what is known as Alcubierre’s close drive.
This speculative concept would use negative energy principles to orbit space around an hypothetical spacecraft, enabling it to travel efficiently faster than light without challenging traditional physical laws. , except for the reasons explained above, we cannot hope to provide such remarkable fuel. source to start.
But what if it were possible to achieve some way of traveling faster than light that keeps faith with Einstein ‘s friendship without wanting any kind of alien physics that physics has never seen?
An artistic look at different spaceship designs in ‘close bubbles’. (E. Lentz)
In his new work, Lentz suggests one such way in which we might be able to do this, thanks to what he calls a new class of hyper-fast solitons – a type of wave that keeps its shape. and its energy while moving at a constant speed (and in this case, a faster speed than light).
According to Lentz’s theoretical calculations, these hyper-fast soliton solutions can be in a general relationship, and are obtained directly from positive energy densities, meaning that exotic negative energy density sources need not yet be considered.
With enough energy, the arrangement of these solitons could act as ‘dense bubbles’, capable of translucent movement, and theoretically allowing an object to pass through space-time while it is protected from tidal forces.
It’s an impressive trick of theoretical athleticism, although the amount of energy required means that this close driver is only possible now for now.
“The energy required for this propulsion is traveling at a light speed orbiting a 100-meter-long spacecraft in a radius on the order of hundreds of times the mass of the planet Jupiter,” Lentz says.
“The energy savings would have to be staggering, with about 30 orders of magnitude to be in the range of today’s nuclear reactors.”
While the Lentz study says this is the first known solution of its kind, its paper has arrived at almost the same time as another recent study, published just this month, which also proposes another model for a physically capable compact driver that will not require negative energy to operate.
The two teams are now in communication, Lentz says, and the researcher plans to share his data further so that other scientists can analyze his figures. In addition, Lentz will explain his research in a week’s time – in a live show on YouTube on March 19th.
There are still plenty of puzzles to solve, but a free flow of these types of ideas is our best hope ever to get a chance to visit the distant, distant stars.
“This work has moved the problem of faster-moving light one step away from theoretical study in basic physics and closer to engineering,” Lentz says.
“The next step is to find out how you can bring down the astronomical energy required within the range of today’s technologies, such as a very large nuclear power plant. Then we can talk about building the first prototypes. “
The results are reported in Classical and Quantum Gravity.