Photos Cool, But Not Practical
If the 11th dimension could be shrunk behind the ship it would create a bubble of dark energy, the same dark energy that is causing the universe to speed up as time goes on. Expanding the 11th dimension in front of the ship would eventually cause it to decrease, although two separate steps are required. Exactly how the 11th dimension would be expanded and shrunk is still unknown. "These calculations are based on some arbitrary advance in technology or some alien technology that would let us manipulate the extra dimension," said Cleaver. What the scientists were able to estimate was the amount of energy necessary, if the technology was available, to change these dimensions: about 10^45 joules. "That's about the amount of energy you'd get if you converted the entire mass of Jupiter into pure energy via E = mc^2," said Cleaver, an energy far beyond anything humanity can currently envision creating. While the challenges to creating a warp drive are quite formidable, the concept is intriguing, says Tufts University theoretical physicist Lawrence Ford. "If there are extra dimensions and we could manipulate them, that would open up all sorts of exciting possibilities," said Ford. "I don't see this leading immediately to a warp drive, but I could see it leading to other interesting possibilities in basic scientific research," said Ford. Cleaver agrees that the creation of a real warp drive is still far away. "Warp drive isn't doable now, and probably won't be for the next several millenia," said Cleaver. Related Links: Eric Bland's blog: Interior Design |
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