Moontanman Posted May 20 Posted May 20 A new solution to the warp drive problem has been found that does not require negative energy or negative mass has been suggested in this paper by Erik W. Lentz https://arxiv.org/pdf/2201.00652 Quote Solitons in space-time capable of transporting time-like observers at superluminal speeds have long been tied to violations of the weak, strong, and dominant energy conditions of general relativity. This trend was recently broken by a new approach that identified soliton solutions capable of superluminal travel while being sourced by purely positive energy densities. This is the first example of hyper-fast solitons satisfying the weak energy condition, reopening the discussion of superluminal mechanisms rooted in conventional physics. This article summarizes the recent finding and its context in the literature. Remaining challenges to autonomous superluminal travel, such as the dominant energy condition, horizons, and the identification of a creation mechanism are also discussed.
Markus Hanke Posted May 22 Posted May 22 Yes, the Lentz warp drive is potentially interesting. However, as the author of this review paper mentions, unless someone can demonstrate the feasibility of each stage in the entire life cycle - and I would add steerability to this list -, we still don’t know whether this is actually physically realisable or not. 1
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