FTL Travel
Travel Without Moving
The Alcubierre Warp Drive
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The Alcubierre warp drive is a speculative idea based on a solution of Einstein's field equations in general relativity as proposed by Mexican theoretical physicist Miguel Alcubierre, by which a spacecraft could achieve apparent faster-than-light travel if a configurable energy-density field lower than that of vacuum (that is, negative mass) could be created.
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Rather than exceeding the speed of light within a local reference frame, a spacecraft would traverse distances by contracting space in front of it and expanding space behind it, resulting in effective faster-than-light travel. Objects cannot accelerate to the speed of light within normal spacetime; instead, the Alcubierre drive shifts space around an object so that the object would arrive at its destination faster than light would in normal space without breaking any physical laws.
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Two-dimensional visualization of an Alcubierre 'Space-Time Warp' drive
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Although the metric proposed by Alcubierre is consistent with the Einstein field equations, it may not be physically meaningful, in which case a drive will not be possible. Even if it is physically meaningful, its possibility would not necessarily mean that a drive can be constructed. The proposed mechanism of the Alcubierre drive implies a negative energy density and therefore requires exotic matter. So if exotic matter with the correct properties can not exist, then the drive could not be constructed. However, at the close of his original article Alcubierre argued (following an argument developed by physicists analyzing traversable wormholes) that the Casimir vacuum between parallel plates could fulfill the negative-energy requirement for the Alcubierre drive. A collaboration between researchers from the University of Western Australia and the University of California Merced has provided a new way to measure tiny forces and use them to control objects. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-casimir.html
Note: Exotic matter can now be created as described in the article below:
https://www.space.com/exotic-matter-quantum-world-on-space-station.html
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An Engineer Artist's Interpretation of an Alcubierre FTL Space Craft
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The Alcubierre metric defines the warp-drive spacetime. It is a Lorentzian manifold that, if interpreted in the context of general relativity, allows a warp bubble to appear in previously flat spacetime and move away effectively faster than lightspeed. The interior of the bubble is an inertial reference frame and inhabitants suffer no proper acceleration. This method of transport does not involve objects in motion at speeds faster than light with respect to the contents of the warp bubble; that is, a light beam within the warp bubble would still always move faster than the ship. Because objects within the bubble are not moving (locally) faster than light, the mathematical formulation of the Alcubierre metric is consistent with the conventional claims of the laws of relativity (namely, that an object with mass cannot attain or exceed the speed of light) and conventional relativistic effects such as time dilation would not apply as they would with conventional motion at near-light speeds. Some warp drive mathematics is described on: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcubierre_drive#Mathematics.
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The Alcubierre drive, however, remains a hypothetical concept with seemingly difficult problems, though the amount of energy required is no longer thought to be unobtainably large. Believe it or not, NASA is serious about creating faster than light travel, and have released a new concept image (see above) showing exactly what a spacecraft equipped with a star-hopping warp drive might look like. The video link also provides an explanation of the FTL drive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xlmdtf3UbmQ
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However, I think the problem may not be possible if 'space' is really made from quantum fluctuations and virtual particles? But see: https://www.warpnews.org/human-progress/new-theory-can-make-warp-drives-possible-this-is-how/
The Froning Photon Drive
Also known as the Alcubierre-Froning drive. In 1980 Dr David Froning conceived a radical form of propulsion and a departure from the norm. He called it the Quantum Ram Jet but did not have any ideas about how to build it then, but realised that coupling matter with zero-point energy could be used to power a spaceship. In 1985 he proposed the use of vacuum energy to power his Quantum Ram Jet. In 1991 he pointed to Zero-point energy which is observed in the Lamb Shift in energy level of a hydrogen atom (measured in 1947!) and also manifest in the Casimir force. Strictly speaking, this is not a 'Warp' drive because it does not warp space but simply isolates itself from space-time effects.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n38aP2tROBo
The most important component of the Froning Photon drive is the Photon Force Field which is an axle Photon force field. How does it work and what does it do?
It serves both as a shield and a screen and is vital for the following purposes:
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For eliminating atmospheric friction.
For protecting from radiation and debris.
For neutralising mass.
For screening away unintended time travel.
For screening away other relativistic effects.
For generating an acceleration-assisting effect.
For extracting energy from the craft's motion through the quantum vacuum.
The Photon force field shield is not a bubble around the spacecraft but is a repulsive field emanating directly from the surface of the craft. Unlike most fictional shields, this theoretical shield is not a shell that can be damaged, punctured or even weakened under bombardment. It is generated by emitting photons according to incoming conditions and drive requirements. The bombarding matter is deflected by the photons without passing on the forces to the craft and also isolates the craft from the surrounding space-time effects. The isolation from space-time effects allows the craft to travel faster than light because it is isolated from the relativistic limitations of normal space-time. Of course, the craft has to have a moving force but, because the photon field provides a frictionless surface and neutral mass, the driving force can be small, perhaps just an imbalance of photon emission. This is a more effective and efficient drive than the original Alcubierre drive which required enormous amounts of energy to create a warp field for the craft to 'fall' into and removes the need for the warp generator torroidal ring.
It is possible now to create pulsed conditional photons that can react with mass and other more energetic particles. These could be used to deflect bombardments by manufacturing them from the crafts surface, thereby acting as a force field. These photons could also be used to provide a barrier to space-time, thus allowing FTL..
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However, I think the limitations may be that 'space' is built from quantum fluctuations which limit the speed of light and will also limit the speed of this photon drive?
Also watch this video presentation by Dr. Harold "Sonny" White, who works for NASA at the Ames Research Center.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wokn7crjBbA
​Example Generation of single photons with highly tunable wave shape:
https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms13556
