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"Prepare for warp speed stand by transwarp drive!"

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LAN_403

Chip Fixes

Thu Jan 10 2013, 05:53AM

Registered Member #3781 Joined: Sat Mar 26 2011, 02:25AM
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Posts: 701

Haha how feasible is this actually? I'm very doubtful.

Also, there is a pretty interesting discussion on xkcd:

Conundrum

Thu Jan 10 2013, 06:23AM

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

Hi..
Sounds entirely feasible, the basic physics looks sound.

I expect that to hold the antimatter needed would probably require a massive magnetic bottle, then some monstrously large superconducting field coils to generate the required kilotesla (1000T) fields to steer the bubble.

-A

Physics Junkie

Thu Jan 10 2013, 07:33AM

Registered Member #7267 Joined: Tue Oct 16 2012, 12:16AM
Location: Detroit, Michigan
Posts: 407

Agreed that it is possible. What interests me about this is how the "bubble" or "wave" would/could be controlled. What if my spaceship's garmin says "in 6473bajillion miles, turn left at alpha centauri".. would I have to come out of my warp speed travel, turn the ship in the direction I require, then make new bubbles? I wonder if theres some way to manipulate direction...im sure there probably is. Also, when you aim for a destination so far away, the slightest difference in angle could cause you to show up millions of miles off course. So interesting to ponder how it all could be done!!

2Spoons

Thu Jan 10 2013, 09:00PM

Registered Member #2939 Joined: Fri Jun 25 2010, 04:25AM
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We're going to need much better ways of making anti-matter if we're going to need 100's of kg of the stuff.

carrotSnack

Fri Jan 11 2013, 02:42AM

Registered Member #4115 Joined: Fri Sept 30 2011, 01:13PM
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It feels to me the article is just another example of mainstream online media over hyping a still might-be-possible future technology.
I feel very doubtful the Eagleworks studies will lead to an FTL drive.
What's with the talk of anti-matter? I see no mention of it in the article.

BigBad

Fri Jan 11 2013, 03:46AM

Registered Member #2529 Joined: Thu Dec 10 2009, 02:43AM
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It's not even faintly possible to do this right now.

The drive requires exotic matter, which so far as anyone knows for sure, doesn't even exist.

Conundrum

Sat Jan 19 2013, 09:21AM

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

Yet.

Also, one theory doing the rounds is that antimatter is seen every day in the form of TGFs.
The gamma ray flash is simply the result of thunderstorm generated positrons and electrons pairing up and annihilating leaving 511KeV gamma rays.

Extracting this is left as an exercise for the student, but would probably involve flying through thunderstorms trailing an MRI sized magnet behind the aircraft...

Converting the antimatter into exotic matter then becomes a simple matter (haha) of engineering, positrons are relatively simple to handle compared to antiprotons and can be directed using magnetic fields into the chamber, which then generates and distributes the exotic matter to the circular nacelle surrounding the ship.

carrotSnack

Sat Jan 19 2013, 11:46AM

Registered Member #4115 Joined: Fri Sept 30 2011, 01:13PM
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How does anti-matter all of a sudden become exotic matter?

Tetris

Sat Jan 19 2013, 07:33PM

Registered Member #4016 Joined: Thu Jul 21 2011, 01:52AM
Location: Gainesville, FL
Posts: 660

@BigBad

Actually, antimatter has been made in *very* small amounts.

Question: Are positrons antielectrons? I think they are, but I'm not sure.

Antiparticles have been made. But unless we have Nibbler from Futurama that can poop antimatter, getting 500kgs of it sounds more than just a daunting task.

Now here's another question: Due to relativity, I can see why it would feel like 4 years to us, but wouldn't a few hundred earth years pass, making it effectively a means of forwards time travel? Like, to make another Futurama reference, instead of cryogenically freezing ourselves for 1000 years, we could just take a trip to Betelgeuse and back and end up in the year 3000?

Another question: If you accelerate to "10c" or even just c, how the f*** would you be able to slow yourself down? Use thrust in the opposite direction?

Conundrum

Mon Jan 21 2013, 07:18AM

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

You don't accelerate to 10C, the space is what is moving.
Your actual velocity remains unchanged although there might be a minimum "engage the warp drive" velocity of 0.57C or something like that.

Re. antimatter, they detected large amounts of it in the Van Allen belts, I expect there to be even more in the Jovian magnetic belt between Jupiter and IO.

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