The warp engine NASA promises interstellar flights

The warp engine

Fly to the nearest solar system alpha Centauri, located 4.3 light years from us (almost 40 trillion kilometers), was ranked on modern missiles of about 160 thousand years. But there was a theoretical technology developed in NASA warp engine capable of reducing the journey to 2 weeks.

I will say that the theory is far from practice? Then think how you could explain to the colonizer in North America that in 150 years it will be possible to communicate with people face to face, even if your interlocutor is on the other side of the planet.

So, what is this mysterious engine? Fastened and read more.

A few months ago, physicist Harold white (Harold White) stunned the world of Aeronautics. He announced that a team at NASA under his leadership, began work on the development of warp drive space. Proposed design – a brilliant reconsideration of the engine Alcubierre (Alcubierre Drive) – eventually may lead to the creation of the engine that will move the rocket with a velocity much polysaccharose light without violating the laws of relativity.

Warp drive Alcubierre

The warp engine

The idea came to white while he was considered rather remarkable equation formulated by physicist Miguel Alcubierre. In the report entitled “the Warp drive: Hyper-fast travel within General relativity”, made in 1994, Alcubierre suggested a mechanism by which space and time can be “warped” in front and behind a spacecraft.
Michio Kaku, one of the main companions of string theory, called the theory of the Alcubierre "passport to the Universe". The method uses the cosmological code that allows you to expand and compress time and space, enabling ultra-fast interstellar travel. In fact, the empty space behind a starship would be to expand rapidly, pushing the craft in a forward direction. Passengers would perceive it as movement despite the complete lack of acceleration.

It's a notable fact that such a phenomenon is constantly observed in the Universe – the space between galaxies can grow unlimited with a speed that often exceeds the speed of light. White suggests that this engine can reach speeds that could allow a spaceship to reach the closest constellation to us in just two weeks, despite the fact that it is at a distance of 4.3 light years from Earth.
From the point of view of the mechanics of the engine, steroidy the object is placed between two areas of space-time expansion and contraction. Then generates a “warp field,” which will move the space around the object, riposizionare it. The end result will be a movement with a speed exceeding the speed of light, without movement with respect to the local reference frame of the ship.

White explained:

Remember, nothing locally exceeds the speed of light, but space can expand and contract at any speed. However, space and time are difficult to manipulate, so the curvature of space and achieve interstellar space in reasonable time periods would require a lot of energy.

And indeed, early assessments published in the scientific literature, was called an enormous amount of energy that is comparable to the mass of the planet Jupiter (what is 1.9 × 1027 kg, or 317 Earth masses). As a result, the idea was forgotten because of the impracticality. Although the nature theoretically allows you to build a warp engine, we would never be able to build a working analog when so unattainable conditions.

“However, based on the analysis of the last 18 months, we can have hope,” said white. The key, says the researcher, can be in changing the geometric structure of the warp engine.

New design warp drive space

The warp engine

In October last year, white was preparing for a lecture he was to give for the project "Centennial spaceship" (100 Year Starship) in Orlando, Florida. During the playback of material on the engines of the curvature of space white has performed an analysis of several equations – more out of curiosity than out of necessity.
How NASA might build the first warp drive

“I opened the pattern that was in front of us,” he recalls, “I suddenly realized that if we make the thickness of the ring of negative vacuum energy more, while swinging a warp field, you can significantly reduce the necessary energy costs. This means that the creation engine, the curvature of space is possible not only in theory.” White had adjusted the shape of Alcubierre ring, making it wider and sloping.

He presented the results of the engine Alcubierre in a year, at a conference in Atlanta, where he announced his new approach. As explained by the teachings that warp drive will reduce energy costs by up to numbers comparable to the mass of the spacecraft Voyager-1.

This is a very significant change in the calculations. Weight reduction to the size of Jupiter to the object, which weighs just 725 pounds, has forced NASA to completely rethink the warp engines.

Creating a warp

The warp engine

A theoretical possibility is, of course, great, but now white need practical proof.

We use a modified interferometer Michelson-Morley experiment, which allows us to measure microscopic curvature in space and time. Simply put – it is an attempt to force one of the legs of the interferometer appear shorter than the other when the device is started.

White and his colleagues are trying to simulate the optimal Alcubierre drive in miniature, using lasers to warp space-time by a factor of one to 10 million.

Of course, the interferometer is not what NASA would be attached to the spacecraft. Rather, it is a part of a larger scientific pursuit.

Our initial test device simulates the ring of a huge energy potential through the use of a ring of ceramic capacitors that are charged to tens of thousands of volts. We will increase the accuracy of our devices and will continue to increase the sensitivity of the interferometer to the deformation of the field – eventually it will be possible to use the device to directly generate negative vacuum energy.

Through these experiments, hopes white, that NASA can go from theory to practice.

Waiting for proof of technology

Given how fantastic this all sounds, the question arises whether white thinks warp drive will ever be built.

Mathematically it is possible, but remains to be seen whether we ever achieve that in practice.

What white is the emergence of evidence that he's calling the time a “Chicago Pile” (a term referring to great practical example).
Chicago Pile

“In late 1942, humanity activated the first nuclear reactor in Chicago, can generate as much as half a watt, which is not enough even to power a light bulb,” – explained the researcher. “However, a year later, we activated the reactor at 4 MW – enough to power a small city. Based on the example, the proof of technology is very important.” Not making loud statements, white acknowledged that the warp engine would open up for humanity some interesting possibilities for space travel and were dropped our sense of immensity of space.

This hole in General relativity would allow us to cover distances really quickly. From the point of view of observers with the ground and the vehicle travels will be measured in weeks or months rather than decades and centuries.

But until the development of the engine is in a theoretical phase. “I'm not ready to discuss this technology outside of mathematics and guided very modest approaches in the lab,” said white.

And this is a sober approach. But thanks to the white we now have a new hope and the prospect of space exploration. It is too early to give up on flying faster than the speed of light.