Scientists at the Advanced Movement Research Laboratory in New York have come up with a new type of warp drive that does not contradict the laws of physics. Unlike the Alcubierre engine, the more realistic way of moving does not require a huge amount of negative energy collected in one place. This is reported by Science Alert.
Negative energy allows you to bypass some of the limitations of Einstein’s theory of relativity, which prevent spaceships from moving at faster than light speed. It was believed that it is necessary in order to contract and expand space faster than the speed of light. However, negative energy in nature is realized only in the form of quantum fluctuations, and to create an Alcubierre engine, its amount must correspond to the mass of at least Jupiter or even the Sun.
Negative energy will not be required, according to new research, but the mass that can deform spacetime will be comparable to the mass of the Earth. It must be concentrated in a volume with a diameter of ten meters. In addition, the very shape of the warp drive also affects the amount of energy needed. So a wide ship will require less mass than a long and thin one. However, scientists do not yet know how to build a starship based on the principles identified.