Scientists have given the all-clear.
Warp drive is having a moment. Just last week, scientists dropped a bombshell when they unveiled the first physical model for a warp drive, the holy grail of space travel that would allow us to bend the fabric of space and time to their will and overcome the vast distances separating humans from the stars. Now, another astrophysicist has delivered an equally exciting warp drive breakthrough.
Up until this point, scientists have slowly chipped away at the fantasy of faster-than-light (FTL) travel by relying on theories of bizarre physics and exotic matter. But in a new paper, Göttingen University’s Erik Lentz has created a theoretical design of a warp drive that’s actually grounded in conventional physics. Lentz’s theory overcomes the need for a source of exotic matter in previous designs by reimagining the shape of warped space.
To put this into context, we’ll catch you up to (warp) speed. The colloquial term “warp drive” comes from science fiction, most famously Star Trek. The Federation’s FTL warp drive works by colliding matter and antimatter and converting the explosive energy to propulsion. Star Trek suggests this extraordinary power alone pushes the ship at FTL speeds.
