While it won’t make a useful spaceship engine, it may tell us more about relativity.

The researchers did indeed discover a warp drive solution: a method of manipulating space so that travelers can move without accelerating. There is no such thing as a free lunch, however, and the physicality of this warp drive does come with a major caveat: the vessel and passengers can never travel faster than light. Also disappointing: the fact that the researchers behind the new work don’t seem to bother with figuring out what configurations of matter would allow the warping to happen.

  • StillPaisleyCat@startrek.websiteEnglish
    3·
    6 months ago

    It’s disappointing in its limitations, yes, but another step in bringing warp-driven travel into a more mainstream conversation and line of theoretical research in physics.

    As with Albucierre’s proof, theoretical research always starts with the corner solutions and odd cases to reduce the variables.