Thursday, April 25, 2024
Contact    |    RSS icon Twitter icon Facebook icon  
Unexplained Mysteries
You are viewing: Home > News > Science & Technology > News story
Welcome Guest ( Login or Register )  
All ▾
Search Submit

Science & Technology

Quantum setback for warp drives

By T.K. Randall
April 4, 2009 · Comment icon 18 comments

Image Credit: (PD)
A new study in to the possibility of a real life warp drive has concluded that travelling faster than light is impossible due to the instability inherent in achieving superluminal speeds.
Bad news I'm afraid -- it looks as if faster-than-light travel isn't possible after all. That's the conclusion of a new study into how warp drives would behave when quantum mechanics is taken into account. "Warp drives would become rapidly unstable once superluminal speeds are reached," say Stefano Finazzi at the International School for Advanced Studies in Trieste, Italy, and a couple of friends."


Source: Technology Review | Comments (18)




Other news and articles
Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #9 Posted by Ghost Ship 15 years ago
I believe that artificial superluminality is possible. Issac Asimov had it in one of his stories. It's when you go the speed of light and then faster only because of an artificial environment of space time fabric created by the spacecrafts engines. An aurora of energy that enables the warp drives capabilities and maintains stability. If i find the story i reffered to i will post parts of it to show what it say's. I believe that Asimov already predicted this.
Comment icon #10 Posted by Eieam Wun 15 years ago
Everything is impossible...until someone figures it out. ...exactly, always amazes me how anyone can "CONCLUDED" anything can't be done with any type of certainty still...in todays day and age, bewilders the mind indeed. "Quantum setback for warp drives"= we just aren't clever enough to find a way...
Comment icon #11 Posted by Ghost Ship 15 years ago
I haven't found what i was looking for but Asimov had other engines in other stories as well. Asimov, Isaac. Nemesis. The superluminal drive negates the effect of inertia allowing many multiples of the speed of light. The drive is totally computer controlled and the vessel remains in realspace throughout the entire trip. The secret of superluminal travel is that the speed of light is treated as Ground Zero. Above the speed of light, gravity repels objects rather than attracting them. An early ver- sion of this drive, a 'stutter' drive, used this principle, but only for very short times and for... [More]
Comment icon #12 Posted by jbondo 15 years ago
Remember the instability of airplanes that broke the sound barrier? They figured that out so I'm sure this will eventually come to fruition as well. As for worm holes or bending the fabric of space/time, we're not even sure that exists.
Comment icon #13 Posted by L33TNerd 15 years ago
I guess we're stuck waiting for Sephram Cochrane to be born and solve this pesky issue. I'm quite ashamed to have gotten that reference....oh boy
Comment icon #14 Posted by Lt_Ripley 15 years ago
Well as they say NEVER GIVE UP, Im sure they will be working on this until all avenues are exausted, exactly !! most thought Hawkins was right about black holes until he admitted he was wrong ...... after all that time. Science changes with new information ....... it continues to grow !! there is no such thing as exhausted I think. we can't perceive all avenues at the moment. How many thought it impossible to go to the moon ?
Comment icon #15 Posted by Codehook 15 years ago
Did anybody read the comments? Moreover, did anybody read the comments and think "what a bunch of losers?"
Comment icon #16 Posted by IamsSon 15 years ago
I'm quite ashamed to have gotten that reference....oh boy It's OK, come on let go of the edge, it's fun over here on the deep side of the pool, come on.
Comment icon #17 Posted by Leonardo 15 years ago
I guess we're stuck waiting for Sephram Cochrane to be born and solve this pesky issue. I'm quite ashamed to have gotten that reference....oh boy I got the reference as well, despite the misspelling of Zefram Cochrane's name. Come on, Iams - being a Trekkie means pedantic adherence to the "Truth according to Star Trek". Pull your socks up!
Comment icon #18 Posted by Cherus 15 years ago
Maybe they should let that robot Adam work on the problem of warp drives...maybe it'll figure it out!


Please Login or Register to post a comment.


Our new book is out now!
Book cover

The Unexplained Mysteries
Book of Weird News

 AVAILABLE NOW 

Take a walk on the weird side with this compilation of some of the weirdest stories ever to grace the pages of a newspaper.

Click here to learn more

We need your help!
Patreon logo

Support us on Patreon

 BONUS CONTENT 

For less than the cost of a cup of coffee, you can gain access to a wide range of exclusive perks including our popular 'Lost Ghost Stories' series.

Click here to learn more

Recent news and articles