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FTL experiment

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Conundrum

Wed Sept 19 2012, 06:24PM

Registered Member #96 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 05:37PM
Location: CI, Earth
Posts: 4061

OK, so let me get this straight.
The original warp drive (aka Alcubierre's original theory) was not feasible due to energy requirements being absurd.
So by adjusting the geometry of the field and oscillating the bubble thus generated the energy usage could be dropped to difficult rather than absurd levels.

This is a bit like Sinclair's method of switching the chip on and off rapidly to cut power, used on the early calculators to save energy.

Comments?
-A

Shrad

Wed Sept 19 2012, 08:00PM

Registered Member #3215 Joined: Sun Sept 19 2010, 08:42PM
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I'd say, you have to read this :

maybe the next reference after Aasimov era, particularly directed on those topics

Daedronus

Wed Sept 19 2012, 09:52PM

Registered Member #2329 Joined: Tue Sept 01 2009, 08:25AM
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O yes, Commonwealth Saga is one of my favorite SF books of all times, I highly recommend it to any SF fans out there.

Patrick

Wed Sept 19 2012, 10:09PM

Registered Member #2431 Joined: Tue Oct 13 2009, 09:47PM
Location: Chico, CA. USA
Posts: 5639

Cylon Raider FTL jump in 3, 2, 1....

radiotech

Wed Sept 19 2012, 11:06PM

Registered Member #2463 Joined: Wed Nov 11 2009, 03:49AM
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Other than a singularity, something moving from point A to B at a velocity of c - x, must input
a series of events, the consequences of which are x.

If any of the components of x were to be annihilated such that x=<c, then c would be
exceeded.

Think of ballerinas who spin faster when they draw in their arms.

Now think of two ballerinas, one composed of electrons and the other, positrons, who
embrace while spinning.

What would the signal of this event?

BigBad

Thu Sept 20 2012, 03:49PM

Registered Member #2529 Joined: Thu Dec 10 2009, 02:43AM
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I can honestly say, I don't understand this warp drive, and how they are proposing to do a lab test on it; in particular how the flying fuck do you create a 'warp field' like that?

I agree that in theory if they could distort space in the way they wanted you could fly around at superluminal speeds, but I don't have a clue how to distort space like that.

The other problem with this kind of thing is that you end up with a time machine.

Only if the transluminal drive has a single reference frame that it works with respect to, can you avoid time travel-type issues and I don't think this does.

Conundrum

Thu Sept 20 2012, 05:47PM

Registered Member #96 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 05:37PM
Location: CI, Earth
Posts: 4061

My understanding is that with this sort of drive it doesen't actually affect time at all.
Its a bit like a surfer riding a wave, the wave is moving at velocity c*n but the surfer doesen't "feel" that.

Uspring

Mon Sept 24 2012, 11:04AM

Registered Member #3988 Joined: Thu Jul 07 2011, 03:25PM
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The other problem with this kind of thing is that you end up with a time machine.

Only if the transluminal drive has a single reference frame that it works with respect to, can you avoid time travel-type issues and I don't think this does.

With FTL travel you can arrive before you start if you judge this from an appropriate frame of reference. I don't believe that this alone establishes time travel or a causality violation. To create a paradox or have a time machine going backwards in time you must travel back to the origin and be there before you started off. Is that the reason why you mentioned that the FTL can only avoid time travel issues if it works only in a single frame of reference?

Ash Small

Mon Sept 24 2012, 11:35AM

Registered Member #3414 Joined: Sun Nov 14 2010, 05:05PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4245

Is this not a relative thing? ie if you go there and back, your kids have aged more than you have, or whatever?

EDIT: Similar to caesium clocks on aeroplanes.

Uspring

Mon Sept 24 2012, 03:04PM

Registered Member #3988 Joined: Thu Jul 07 2011, 03:25PM
Location:
Posts: 711

Is this not a relative thing? ie if you go there and back, your kids have aged more than you have, or whatever?

Time dilation is what you refer to, also an effect of special relativity. Another effect is is the relativeness of simultaneity. If you have e.g. two simultaneous events at different places in space, they will not be anymore simultaneous if viewed from a reference frame moving with respect to the one in which the events are simultaneous.

Imagine the extreme FTL case of infinite velocity. You would start off at one point and simultaneously arrive at the different one. In a different frame of reference you could arrive before you start off.
Actually you needn't travel at infinite velocities to get this effect. It will work for any FTL travel.

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