The concept of faster-than-light travel has existed and is common in the realm of science fiction for decades now. However, the idea of wrap drives interstellar journeys has captured the imagination of many, especially in the series called Star Trek. Which of these ideas and concepts were more than just fiction and imagination? It seems like the new development of science theory is slowly becoming a subject of interest.
Twisting space to travel faster than light is the idea behind the warp drive
Science fiction is often associated with warp drives, which have the potential to accelerate spacecraft faster than the speed of light. The prospect of twisting or bending space-time to enable faster-than-light travel without violating the fundamental principles of physics lies at the heart of the warp drive concept. A warp drive would presumably compress space in front of the vehicle and expand it behind, producing a kind of bubble.
This bubble would enable the ship to travel great distances swiftly rather than speeding it to the speed of light. The space surrounding the spacecraft would move, enabling it to travel farther than the speed of light, rather than the spacecraft itself moving through space at an impossibly rapid rate. Miguel Alcubierre, a physicist laid this foundation in 1994 and spoke about the mathematical model for a warp drive.
Alcubierre’s idea proposed the possibility of creating a warp bubble capable of propelling a spacecraft at superluminal speeds if negative energy, or exotic matter, could be harnessed. This idea and concept have since kept scientists on their feet to discover more about it and come up with their theories aligned with Alcubierre’s idea. Despite challenges, there is still more to learn.
Fiction science transformed into what they call serious science: Fiction turned into Reality
Perhaps you’ve seen fictitious television shows and films where a warp drive is some sort of technology that compresses the space in front of a spacecraft and stretches it behind. Nothing can go faster than the speed of light, but we can change this fact in a warp drive by shortening our distance. Thus, the travel time from point A to point B is shorter than the travel time of light along another uncompressed path.
It was through the application of Einstein’s general relativity equations to a warp drive model by theoretical physicist Miguel Alcubierre that science fiction became fact. We are getting a clearer and better idea of whether warp drives are feasible thanks to this research. Scientists are starting to piece together what warp travel would involve by modelling what gravitational waves from a failed warp drive might look like.
The Pros and Cons of exceeding the speed of light
Theoretically and practically, the idea of exceeding the speed of light has its benefits and consequences. According to Einstein’s theory of relativity, it is impossible for something to travel faster than lightning in a vacuum without requiring infinite energy. On the flip side, wrap drive technology states otherwise as its mission is to manipulate space-time itself. Technically, the space surrounding the spaceship is changing, not the spacecraft itself.
The need for exotic matter or negative energy is a significant barrier to the development of a warp drive. More negative energy would be needed to create a warp bubble than is currently understood to exist in the observable universe. Some scientists have hypothesised that quantum fields could be used to harvest small amounts of negative energy as a result of recent developments in quantum physics.
If these challenges can be overcome then scientists have no reason not to “exceed” the speed of light. Beyond space travel, the capacity to modify space-time may find use in developing more sophisticated propulsion systems and innovative ways to produce energy. Scientists want to look at how the signal varies with various warp drive concepts and see if bubbles that are flying faster than light might collapse.
Even if warp speed is a long way off, one simulated accident at a time, the search for the secrets of the universe is still ongoing. There is still much to learn about the entire range of gravitational wave frequencies, which will be responsive to various events occurring in both space and time. Undoubtedly, pursuing this objective will result in novel discoveries and technological breakthroughs that will influence humankind’s future.
