The unphysical nature of 'warp drive'

被引:104
作者
Pfenning, MJ
Ford, LH
机构
[1] Institute of Cosmology, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Tufts University, Medford
基金
美国国家科学基金会;
关键词
D O I
10.1088/0264-9381/14/7/011
中图分类号
P1 [天文学];
学科分类号
0704 ;
摘要
We will apply the quantum-inequality-type restrictions to Alcubierre's warp drive metric on a scale in which a local region of spacetime can be considered 'flat'. These are inequalities that restrict the magnitude and extent of the negative energy which is needed to form the warp drive metric. From this we are able to place limits on the parameters of the 'warp bubble'. It will be shown that the bubble wall thickness is on the order of only a few hundred Planck lengths. Then we win show that the total integrated energy density needed to maintain the warp metric with such thin walls is physically unattainable.
引用
收藏
页码:1743 / 1751
页数:9
相关论文
共 14 条
  • [1] THE WARP DRIVE - HYPER-FAST TRAVEL WITHIN GENERAL-RELATIVITY
    ALCUBIERRE, M
    [J]. CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM GRAVITY, 1994, 11 (05) : L73 - L77
  • [2] EVERETT A, 1997, GRQC9702049 TUFTS U
  • [3] COSMIC FLASHING IN 4 DIMENSIONS
    FORD, LH
    ROMAN, TA
    [J]. PHYSICAL REVIEW D, 1992, 46 (04): : 1328 - 1339
  • [4] CONSTRAINTS ON NEGATIVE-ENERGY FLUXES
    FORD, LH
    [J]. PHYSICAL REVIEW D, 1991, 43 (12): : 3972 - 3978
  • [5] Restrictions on negative energy density in flat spacetime
    Ford, LH
    Roman, TA
    [J]. PHYSICAL REVIEW D, 1997, 55 (04): : 2082 - 2089
  • [6] Quantum field theory constrains traversable wormhole geometries
    Ford, LH
    Roman, TA
    [J]. PHYSICAL REVIEW D, 1996, 53 (10): : 5496 - 5507
  • [7] AVERAGED ENERGY CONDITIONS AND QUANTUM INEQUALITIES
    FORD, LH
    ROMAN, TA
    [J]. PHYSICAL REVIEW D, 1995, 51 (08): : 4277 - 4286
  • [8] FORD LH, 1978, P R SOC A, V364
  • [9] KRASNIKOV SV, 1995, GRQC9511068
  • [10] Misner CW., 1973, GRAVITATION