Alcubierre Warp Drive: Intro Paper for GR Students

In summary, the Alcubierre warp drive is a theoretical propulsion technology that could allow for faster-than-light travel. There is no evidence that the required negative energy matter actually exists, and research into the drive is limited to research journal articles. Although the technology is science fiction, it is still interesting.
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DEvens
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What's a good intro to the Alcubierre warp drive
I would like to read about the Alcubierre warp drive. Is there a good introductory paper?

I have done some GR, round about 8 months worth in undergrad [mumble] years ago. And my honors project was on interior solutions for stellar collapse. So I'm OK with GR at about the speed of Weinberg's book _Gravitation and Cosmology_. Is there a good backgrounder type document on the Alcubierre solution? I think I also need to learn the ADM formalism, though not entirely sure about that.

Right now I have basically rooted through arxiv.org and got all the papers I could find on the subject. I left off the quantum mechanics related ones. These are primarily research oriented papers. I'm hoping for more of a teaching type document. Upper level undergrad or graduate level will probably be acceptable.
 
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I think the Alcubierre drive is more science fiction than science, so you shouldn't expect to find many scientific papers. There is no reason to believe that the required negative energy matter actually exists. Have you tried looking up the peer-reviewed papers in this Wikipedia link?
 
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phyzguy said:
I think the Alcubierre drive is more science fiction than science, so you shouldn't expect to find many scientific papers. There is no reason to believe that the required negative energy matter actually exists. Have you tried looking up the peer-reviewed papers in this Wikipedia link?

Yes, I'm working through those. Most of them are available online in one form or another. As you said, they are mostly research journal articles. I was hoping for something more review-ish. I can struggle through most of their content. When they start pulling topology theorems I sort of glaze over, but other than that I'm mostly good.

Yes it's sci-fi. And it seems reasonable to expect it that change. But it's interesting still. General relativity is a subject that it's easy to get absorbed in. And exact solutions with weird properties are particularly keen.
 

FAQ: Alcubierre Warp Drive: Intro Paper for GR Students

1. What is the Alcubierre Warp Drive?

The Alcubierre Warp Drive is a theoretical concept proposed by Mexican physicist Miguel Alcubierre in 1994. It is a hypothetical method of traveling through space at faster-than-light speeds by warping the fabric of space-time around a spacecraft.

2. How does the Alcubierre Warp Drive work?

The Alcubierre Warp Drive works by creating a bubble of distorted space-time around the spacecraft. This bubble would contract the space in front of the spacecraft and expand the space behind it, allowing the spacecraft to "surf" on this wave and travel faster than the speed of light.

3. Is the Alcubierre Warp Drive possible?

At this time, the Alcubierre Warp Drive is purely a theoretical concept and has not been proven to be possible. It relies on the existence of exotic matter with negative energy density, which has not been observed in nature. However, research and experiments are ongoing to explore the potential of this concept.

4. What are the potential applications of the Alcubierre Warp Drive?

If the Alcubierre Warp Drive were to be proven possible, it could revolutionize space travel by allowing us to reach distant planets and galaxies in a fraction of the time it would take with conventional propulsion methods. It could also have implications for time travel and the study of the universe.

5. What are the challenges and limitations of the Alcubierre Warp Drive?

One of the main challenges of the Alcubierre Warp Drive is the need for exotic matter with negative energy density, which has not been observed in nature and may be difficult to produce. Additionally, the energy requirements for creating the warp bubble would be immense, making it currently unfeasible with our current technology.

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