[wvbwxol]

Well this was an interesting article to read.

Source

New method would not break Einstein's Theory of Relativity

Virtually all science fiction that involves intergalactic travel or convenient travel between planets in our own solar system revolves around faster than light travel. One problem with many theories for faster than light travel is the proposed methods would violate Einstein's Theory of Relativity.
Two physicists from Baylor University have theorized what they believe to be a method of faster than light travel that would not break the Theory of Relativity. Einstein's Theory of Relativity states that objects accelerating to the speed of light require an infinite amount of energy.
The physicists -- Gerald Cleaver and Richard Obousy -- have theorized a new idea for faster than light travel that involves manipulating dark energy to propel a spacecraft. According to Space.com the universe -- in theory -- moved faster than light for a short time after the Big Bang, propelled by dark energy which represents about 74% of the mass energy budget in the universe. Space.com goes on to say that, 22% of the mass energy budget consists of dark matter and what remains of the mass-energy budget in the universe being made up of stars, planets and other things we see.
Some current evidence supports the theory that the fabric of space-time can expand faster than the speed of light. This is said to be because the reality which light travels is expanding itself.
The Baylor physicists took a recent idea in string theory to devise a method of manipulating dark energy to accelerate a spaceship based on the Alcubierre drive. The Alcubierre drive works on the principle -- in theory -- that expanding space-time behind a ship and reducing space-time in front of the ship would result in propulsion at faster than light speeds.
Cleaver said, "Think of it [faster than light travel] like a surfer riding a wave. The ship would be pushed by the spatial bubble and the bubble would be traveling faster than the speed of light."
It is believed that 10 dimensions exist, with six of them being largely unknown. M-theory suggests that hypothetical one-dimensional strings vibrate in yet another dimension. Cleaver and Obousy theorize that manipulating the dimension the strings vibrate in would alter dark energy in height, width, and length to permit a spaceship to take advantage of dark energy's effect on the universe.
Cleaver told Space.com, "The dark energy is simultaneously decreased just in front of the ship to decrease (and bring to a stop) the expansion rate of the universe in front of the ship. If the dark energy can be made negative directly in front of the ship, then space in front of the ship would locally contract."
While the whole theory hardly sounds simple, one of the greatest problems is the amount of energy required to propel a ship using this method. The physicists estimate that to move a small ship -- measuring approximately 33-feet x 33-feet -- would require energy equivalent to the entire mass of Jupiter.
Cleaver continued saying, "That is an enormous amount of energy. We are still a very long ways off before we could create something to harness that type of energy." Also the first comment 1. Has anyone proved that dark matter actually even exists or found any or know what its properties are?

2. Aren't most physicists generally skeptical about string theory?

It seems like most science news on this site is just whichever scientists comes up with the most exciting-sounding idea and sends it off to the media who, naturally, jumps all over it without having any idea if it is plausible. Think cold fusion and unintended acceleration... Either way, is this like "bending" space and time or something?

[thakitt]

1000 years from now, will the future generations look back at us as a bunch of simple people with retarded theorys?

This assuming that we have expanded into space and it's just plain common knowledge taught in jnr high how something is propelled at the speed of light.

[abubycera]

As far as I know Dark Matter is just a theory. It says that galexies dont have enough matter to keep them from bursting apart so they think something else is holding them together. Newer studies suggest not.

[invasuant]

Well at least they aren't saying time travel is possible. That always bugs me.

[Gabbavnf]

Well at least they aren't saying time travel is possible. That always bugs me.

Why? Scared of the thought?

I really believe it's possible to exceed the speed of light because there is a law that states everything is possible because you can't prove something that hasn't occur.

Anyway, according to Einstein only objects with mass would require infinite amount of energy but what about building a space ship without mass then?

[wvbwxol]

Anyway, according to Einstein only objects with mass would require infinite amount of energy but what about building a space ship without mass then?

How exactly?

[fissasste]

Just convert it and its' contents into pure energy and then back again. Sounds easy enough

And the "theory" from these guys really isn't anything more than them going "Hey, wouldn't it be cool if...". It has very little basis in reality as we know it at this time.

[rhybrisee]

Dark energy is pretty widely accepted given that we've basically measured the fact that (a) the universe is expanding and (b) the rate at which the universe is expanding is increasing. The cosmological constant has been recently independently measured by two groups looking at type Ia supernovae across the universe, which follow a well-understood mechanism for producing the same peak luminosities as each other.

I also do not believe that most physicists are skeptical of string theory. There is a lot of work to do, and there is still the small matter of determining whether it all actually has any connection to the real world (i.e. we cannot verify or observe the consequences), but there is a lot of potential and a lot of interesting stuff has already come out of string theory. String theory was all the rage in the late 90s and since then things have tapered off because I guess the feeling is that it has failed to describe everything in the universe, but this really is still the forefront of physics and cosmology and stuff.

[11Woxsepmoomo]

if this were possible, then in essence, time travel as well would be possible. essentially flying agains therotation of the earth crossing dateline repeadtedly MANY times over? or am i drunk again lol. but an interesting thought none-the-less

[Enjoymms]

if this were possible, then in essence, time travel as well would be possible. essentially flying agains therotation of the earth crossing dateline repeadtedly MANY times over? or am i drunk again lol. but an interesting thought none-the-less

Yeah, nah that wouldn't work.

[Gabbavnf]

How exactly?

I have no idea, but I think it's very possible with enough resources and time altough might be too much of both at the moment, maybe in about 100 years it will be more possible.

Also, this big talk of dark energy and matter, more research in both areas would probably also light something up.

[11Woxsepmoomo]

Yeah, nah that wouldn't work.

yeah i know, but while not so sober, i like to htink if slightly illogical stuff mixed wiht logical things, and theorising what may happen

[FjFHQLJQ]

Either way, is this like "bending" space and time or something?

Space-time is pretty much the name given to the fabric of space and time as they are interlinked...

Think of it as a grid... just found this image, good representation:



Gravity creates a dip/well in the grid, imagine a ball rolling around the grid... if it gets to a point in the well where it is just going to roll around the dip that the earth creates, it will stay in orbit around the earth.

(I'm giving this background to help explain)

Another example is that a black hole is a well which goes vertical, so 'nothing' can escape.

Anyway... what these guys seem to be suggesting is keeping the space craft's travel accross the grid at the same speed, but expand the grid squares behind the ship & shrink the grid squares in front of the ship.... which should also push the ship along.

__________

As for the first comment... he didn't seem to realise that they were talking about dark energy, not dark matter - the two things, while similarly named are very different things.

[FjFHQLJQ]

As far as I know Dark Matter is just a theory. It says that galexies dont have enough matter to keep them from bursting apart so they think something else is holding them together. Newer studies suggest not.

Again, this theory is all about dark energy, not dark matter.

And yes... the idea of dark matter... with the speed that galaxies and galaxy clusters rotate and the visible matter in the galaxies, the gravitational pull isn't strong enough to stop them from flying out in to space. Dark matter creates extra, weakly-interactive, non-visible mass to explain it.

Personally... I think it's much more likely to be a missing constant in the gravitational equations which means they work on a small scale, but not on a big scale... just not sure what yet.

[FjFHQLJQ]

Well at least they aren't saying time travel is possible. That always bugs me.

True... although I think predicting the future is possible, but viewing the future will alter the outcome.

[FjFHQLJQ]

Why? Scared of the thought?

I really believe it's possible to exceed the speed of light because there is a law that states everything is possible because you can't prove something that hasn't occur.

Anyway, according to Einstein only objects with mass would require infinite amount of energy but what about building a space ship without mass then?

Einstein theorised that a masseous object accelerating to the speed of light would be impossible... however what about things already travelling faster than the speed of light (tachyons)

[CevepBiageCefm]

Personally... I think it's much more likely to be a missing constant in the gravitational equations which means they work on a small scale, but not on a big scale... just not sure what yet.

If there was, it would have been observed by now through observations of binary systems. Don't forget that galactic clusters also show evidence of dark matter too, so the deviations from classical expectations do work on a large scale. It's also worth remembering that one aspect of the composition of dark matter is already known: the neutrino. Unfortunately, they only form a relatively small portion of the total amount that has been speculated and the robustness of the Standard Model doesn't offer any suggestions as to what the rest can realistically be.

[E4qC1qQ5]

Whenever somebody comes up with some sort of FTL theory, the biggest sticking point is almost always the energy required. But think of the amount of energy we use today as compared to a person just a few hundred years ago.

I suspect these preposterous energy budgets might one day be considered very significent...but not at all impossible, or maybe even not all that extraordinary.

Edit: As a kid, I used to speculate that quasars were the disastrous funeral pyre of some unlucky super-civilization that found out the hard way why FTL was impossible. [yes]

[invasuant]

Why? Scared of the thought?

Scared? No, TIME travel is not possible.You cannot go back in time, and you cannot go forward in time.

[exschke]

Scared? No, TIME travel is not possible.You cannot go back in time, and you cannot go forward in time.

I thought the current thinking was that it is possible, with one limitation, i.e. you can only travel back to the time when the time machine was constructed and no further?