It sounds like science fiction, but spaceships traveling at warp speed are possible, according to a top scientist.
In a recent study, physicist Dr. Erik Lentz outlined a way in which a rocket could theoretically travel faster than light – or more than 186,000 miles per second.
At that speed, astronauts can reach other galaxies in just a few years, allowing humanity to colonize distant planets.
Current rocket technology would take about 6,300 years to reach Proxima Centauri, the star closest to our sun.
So-called “warp drives” have been proposed before, but often rely on theoretical systems that violate the laws of physics.
That’s because, according to Einstein’s general theory of relativity, it’s physically impossible for anything to travel faster than the speed of light.
Dr. Lentz, a scientist at the University of Göttingen in Germany, says his imaginary warp drive would work within the confines of physics.
While other theories rely on ‘exotic’ concepts, such as negative energy, he circumvents this problem with a new theoretical particle.
According to a press release from the University of Göttingen, these super-fast “solitons” can travel at any speed while obeying the laws of physics.
A soliton – also called a “warp bubble” – is a compact wave that behaves like a particle while retaining its shape and moving at a constant speed.
Dr. Lentz said he came up with his theory after analyzing existing research and found gaps in previous warp drive studies.
He believes that solitons can travel faster than light and “create a conductive plasma and classical electromagnetic fields.”
Both concepts are understood under conventional physics and obey Einstein’s theory of relativity.
While its warp drive offers the tantalizing ability to travel faster than light, it’s still in the idea phase for now.
The device would require an enormous amount of energy that is not possible with modern technology.
“The energy savings would have to be drastic, of about 30 orders of magnitude to fall within the range of modern fission reactors,” said Dr. Lentz.
“Fortunately, previous research has proposed several energy-saving mechanisms that could potentially reduce the energy required by nearly 60 orders of magnitude.”
The astrophysicist said he would now focus his efforts on coming up with a workable version of the technology.
“This work has moved the problem of traveling faster than light one step away from theoretical research in basic physics and closer to engineering,” said Dr. Lentz.
“The next step is to figure out how to reduce the astronomical amount of energy required to be within the reach of current technologies, such as a large modern nuclear fission plant. Then we can talk about building the first prototypes. “
The research is published in the journal Classical and Quantum Gravity.