Physics from Austria and the United States denied the performance of the Bissar engine, which, according to the hypothesis, can allow space ships to overcome interstellar distances, and recognized its creation impossible. This is reported in the article published in the Acta Astronautica magazine.
The concept created by Robert Bussar in 1960 provides for the capture of protons from outer space to support thermonuclear reactions. To do this, use a magnetic funnel, which is created ahead of the ship. The theoretical possibility of such an engine was confirmed nine years later, when scientists first described magnetic fields suitable for capturing protons.
Researchers created a mathematical model of electromagnetic fields and recognized that the main principle of capturing particles really works. That is, protons can be collected from the interstellar space and direct them to thermonuclear engine to reach speeds close to the speed of light.
However, the density of hydrogen atoms in the interstellar space is quite low and reaches one into a cubic centimeter. To effectively collect particles, the magnetic funnel must have a giant dimensions, reaching the diameters of four thousand kilometers, and the lengths are 150 million kilometers. The authors note that it is technically impossible even for advanced civilization.