A group of scientists recently revealed the discovery of a new engine capable of exceeding the speed of light. Combining traditional technologies with new procedures, they may have developed a formula that not even Einstein was able to create. If proven possible, this theory brings us even closer to the possibility of manipulating space-time, similar to what happens in sci-fi stories.
Exceeding the speed of light is far more possible than it’s ever been
When watching sci-fi movies, one of the most intriguing mechanics is space-time manipulation. With discoveries made to date, even if we had the necessary technology, nothing in the universe can reach 300,000 kilometers per second, which is the speed of light. However, this has not stopped scientists and researchers from looking for alternatives that can lead us to a reality where this is possible.
Space-time theories are not new, such as the Alcubierre drive
In fact, theories about space-time manipulation were developed over the years. Theses involving wormholes and Einstein-Rosen bridges became popular among enthusiasts. But between them, one of the most popular is the warp drive, also known as the Alcubierre drive, which is based on a hypothetical engine that can create warps in space-time that circumvent that speed limit.
The first time it appeared was in 1994, after Miguel Alcubierre, a Mexican physicist, published his paper demonstrating how a real-life warp drive could work. However, Alcubierre’s proposal required negative energy, which may or may not exist.
But recently, a new paper published in Classical Quantum Gravity suggests that a warp drive can be created without this hypothetical type of energy. In fact, one team demonstrated a model showing that warp drives might be possible in the future, bringing us closer to a reality where some of our favorite sci-fi features, such as teleportation and time-travel, may become true.
How does the speed-of-light engine model work?
The new engine theorized by applied physics scientists is called the constant velocity warp drive. According to Jared Fuchs, one of the physicists in the research group, the published study is capable of changing all we know about warp drive. “By demonstrating a first-of-its-kind model, we have shown that warp drives might not be relegated to science fiction”.
At first, Alcubierre proposed that the warp drive would require a bubble of negative energy density around an object. This bubble would create an imbalance in space-time, decreasing the amount of space to be traveled and allowing a hypothetically infinitely faster mode of travel.
A similar effect could be achieved using a super-powerful gravitational field, which is capable of manipulating space-time without damaging the matter of a potential ship.
A warp bubble is the secret behind the new theory of physics
The group’s latest work described a similar solution. The new model theory involves a warp drive that can make space-time behave as if it were reacting gravitationally to normal matter. To achieve this, a stable shell of matter with a “modified shift vector on its interior” is needed. The warp bubble would be able to send a spacecraft through space at speeds not exceeding the speed of light. In another way, it could work without any type of exotic energy.
As Fuchs said, the new results “offer an important first step toward understanding what makes physical warp solutions,” and although it’s not practical due to the amount of energy required to reproduce the warp effect, it could still represent an important advancement.
Recently, another group of scientists revealed a discovery about how the speed of teleportation works, and if you think that warp drive is impressive, this theory will be even more impressive.