It sounds like science fiction, but spaceships traveling at high speed are possible, according to a great scientist.
In a recent study, physicist Dr. Erik Lentz outlined a way that a rocket could theoretically travel faster than light – or more than 186,000 miles per second.
At that speed, astronauts could reach other star systems 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 closest star to our sun.
So-called “bending drives” have been proposed before, but they often depend on theoretical systems that break the laws of physics.
That’s because, according to Einstein’s general theory of relativity, it is physically impossible for anything to travel faster than the speed of light.
Dr. Lentz, a scientist at the University of Göttingen in Germany, says that his imaginary warp engine would operate within the limits of physics.
While other theories rely on “exotic” concepts, such as negative energy, he circumvents this problem using a new theoretical particle.
These hyper-fast “solitons” can travel at any speed obeying the laws of physics, according to a press release from the University of Göttingen.
A soliton – also known as a “fold bubble” – is a compact wave that acts like a particle while maintaining its shape and moving at a constant speed.
Dr. Lentz said he elaborated his theory after analyzing existing research and found gaps in previous warp propulsion studies.
He believes that solitons can travel faster than light and “create a conductive plasma and classic electromagnetic fields”.
Both concepts are understood by conventional physics and obey Einstein’s theory of relativity.
Although his bending momentum provides the tempting possibility of a faster trip than light, he is still in the idea stage for now.
The contraption would require an enormous amount of energy that is not possible with modern technology.
“The energy savings would need to be drastic, approximately 30 orders of magnitude to be within reach of modern nuclear fission reactors,” said Dr. Lentz.
“Fortunately, several energy saving mechanisms have been proposed in previous research that can potentially reduce the energy needed by almost 60 orders of magnitude.”
The astrophysicist said he will now focus his efforts on creating a viable version of the technology.
“This work removed the problem of traveling faster than the light of theoretical research in fundamental physics and approached engineering,” said Dr. Lentz.
“The next step is to find out how to reduce the astronomical amount of energy needed within the range of current technologies, such as a large modern nuclear fission plant. So we can talk about building the first prototypes. “
The research was published in the journal Classical and Quantum Gravity.