The Spacetime Metric

In one minute

In this 2017 chapter, Alcubierre and Lobo examine warp geometries as mathematical ways to shorten distant journeys without the ship outrunning light in its immediate surroundings. For the Alcubierre geometry, they calculate negative energy density in the bubble walls, even at low speeds. Their analysis with a finite-mass ship relates the energy requirement to bubble speed, size and wall thickness. At faster-than-light bubble speeds, onboard signals cannot reach the outer front edge, so the crew cannot simply create or control the entire bubble on demand. They discuss Krasnikov’s alternative: modify the route during an initial outward journey to enable a shortened round trip. Suitably combined routes can form paths returning to an earlier time, although the original single Alcubierre geometry does not itself contain such loops.

Warp drive basics

  1. Miguel Alcubierre(Author)
  2. Francisco S. N. Lobo(Author)

Publication and identifiers

Work type
Paper
Year
2017
Publisher
Springer International Publishing
Edition
Chapter 11 in Wormholes, Warp Drives and Energy Conditions, Fundamental Theories of Physics 189, pp. 257–279; first online 17 May 2017. Summary uses 17-page author version arXiv:2103.05610v1 (9 March 2021).
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Original source links

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Springer International Publishing AG (published chapter)

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Original title
Warp drive basics
Attribution
  1. Miguel Alcubierre(Author)
  2. Francisco S. N. Lobo(Author)
Year
2017
Publisher
Springer International Publishing
Edition
Chapter 11 in Wormholes, Warp Drives and Energy Conditions, Fundamental Theories of Physics 189, pp. 257–279; first online 17 May 2017. Summary uses 17-page author version arXiv:2103.05610v1 (9 March 2021).
Identifiers
Original source links

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