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Warp drive
is an attempt to achieve faster than light travel without crossing the light
speed barrier. So how do we achieve faster than light travel without crossing
the light speed barrier? For this we move the space rather than the object
itself. Warp drive compresses the space in front and expand the space behind
the object. By doing so the object is able to reach the destination faster than
light without ever crossing the light speed barrier and the problems associated
with the same. But building a warp drive won't be easy. The problems that would
be encountered are as follows.
Firstly,
we need to compress the space in front of the object. For this we require the
mass of the size of atleast Jupiter for the warp drive to be effective. This is
a problem as of now but in future may be we will be able to have the mass of
Jupiter in a very small size in front of the warp drive. It's what a blackhole
is after all, very small in size compared to its mass. But we won't be having
blackhole initially in the front unless we know how to handle blackhole. So the
amount of space that we can compress in front of the warp drive will depend on
the largest mass that we can compress to a small size, without forming a
blackhole.
Secondly,
the next problem is how do we expand the space behind? For this we require
exotic matter which are believed to have negative mass. Maybe there is a alot
of exotic matter in the universe. But searching them won' t be easy, as it will
avoid matter, due to its negative mass. And when we do find the exotic matter,
using them would require newer technology.
Thirdly,
how do we propose to protect the warp drive. We know that the space in front
will get compressed and the space behind will get expanded. So the warp drive
has to be in a protective bubble where the space will remain unaffected. How do
we propose to create this protective bubble? How do we ensure that the space in
the protective bubble remains unaffected? This is a topic of further research.
Fourthly,
we yet don't know the effect of warp drive. What will happen when we reach our
destination and finally stop our warp drive? Will it create problems in the
destination? After disturbing the space by compressing and expanding it, and
then making it normal, surely would have effect on the destination. So we have
to figure out ways to reduce the ill effects, if not completely eliminate it.
So, we can see although warp drive give us hope of travelling faster than light but it has many challenges to overcome before it become a reality. But it's also true if the technique of warp drive is feasible, we will surely find a way to overcome the obstacles and fulfil our dream of travelling faster than light.
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