Profile
Chris Van Den Broeck
Professor of gravitational-wave physics at Utrecht University; Nikhef researcher
Van Den Broeck studies gravitational-wave observations to investigate spacetime, black holes and neutron stars. In a separate 1999 theoretical paper, he modifies Alcubierre’s warp geometry to reduce its calculated total energy requirement. The example still requires negative mass of roughly a few solar masses and a comparable amount of positive energy. The result changes the mathematical energy budget; it does not supply a way to produce that matter distribution.
Affiliations
- Utrecht University; Nikhef (National Institute for Subatomic Physics)
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Bibliography
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Listed work
Paper · 1999
A 'warp drive' with more reasonable total energy requirements
- Chris Van Den Broeck(Author)
Chris Van Den Broeck shows that a small change to the Alcubierre geometry dramatically cuts the total energy a warp bubble needs to carry macroscopic objects. His spacetime needs total negative mass of only a few solar masses, with a comparable amount of positive energy. That places the warp drive on the mass scale of large traversable wormholes. The new geometry satisfies the quantum inequality on weak energy condition violations and keeps every advantage of the original. The quantum inequality is amply satisfied, proving that warp drive energy requirements need not be as stringent as Alcubierre's original. He presents it as a proof of principle on total energy, with very large local energy densities still to be solved.