Author Topic: Terrestrial applications of a "warp" drive  (Read 4582 times)

Offline Adaptation

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Terrestrial applications of a "warp" drive
« on: 03/17/2014 05:11 am »
There have been sporadic news stories about Harold G. "Sonny" White and his warp drive which may some day allow faster than light travel.  It is reported to work by compressing and expanding spacetime in regions in front of and behind a vessel.  My question is if something such as a computer where placed in the compressed portion of this warp would its time reference be accelerated ie could it compute faster in relation to our point of reference.  Conversely would objects placed in the expanded space time portion of the field experience time slower than our reference plane. 


Offline su27k

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Re: Terrestrial applications of a "warp" drive
« Reply #1 on: 03/18/2014 06:48 am »
I thought about this a few weeks ago, but from a different direction. Basically Alcubierre drive seems to allow time travel/causality violation (per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcubierre_drive#Causality_violation_and_semiclassical_instability), and there's some thoughts that time travel can be used to build superfast computers based on time loop logic (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novikov_self-consistency_principle#Time_loop_logic), which can solve NP problems in polynomial time. So yeah, if the wrap drive theory can be proven, it looks to me the first application may be computing instead of space travel. But I don't know how do you build such a computer in principle or how to show this in experiments.

Offline ChrisWilson68

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Re: Terrestrial applications of a "warp" drive
« Reply #2 on: 03/18/2014 07:11 am »
It's kind of like planning for which zoos will get a unicorn.

Only the mass media that caters to the scientifically illiterate carries these stories about Sonny White.  Reputable scientists have long since shown White's ideas to be nonsensical and have lost interest.

I know, I know, some die-hard believers will jump all over me for saying that, but it's the truth, and I think anyone who happens on this thread and doesn't know any better should be given the information that mainstream science says Sonny White's theories are just about as scientifically valid as the local palm reader.

Offline go4mars

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Re: Terrestrial applications of a "warp" drive
« Reply #3 on: 03/18/2014 11:05 am »
It's kind of like planning for which zoos will get a unicorn.
hmmm...  Well if they do start cloning Elasmotherium, and shipping colts to zoos, they would probably need either plenty of room to gallop and graze, or enough money to keep the beasts fed.  They're huge!  The logistics for a breeding and rewinding program need to be considered as well. 

Point is: A speculation hammer is more effectually applied with specific reasoning and/or links. 
Elasmotherium; hurlyburly Doggerlandic Jentilak steeds insouciantly gallop in viridescent taiga, eluding deluginal Burckle's abyssal excavation.

Offline sugmullun

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Re: Terrestrial applications of a "warp" drive
« Reply #4 on: 03/18/2014 12:41 pm »
It's kind of like planning for which zoos will get a unicorn.

Only the mass media that caters to the scientifically illiterate carries these stories about Sonny White.  Reputable scientists have long since shown White's ideas to be nonsensical and have lost interest'

While I'm on the fence about what I've read about HGW's theories, I'm one of those scientifically illiterate and would appreciate the little extra trouble to site something or someone "reputable" in reference to the statement so that I could be a little less so.
« Last Edit: 03/18/2014 12:45 pm by sugmullun »

Offline Adaptation

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Re: Terrestrial applications of a "warp" drive
« Reply #5 on: 03/18/2014 04:41 pm »
Well if they do start cloning Elasmotherium

If they do they will have already cloned mammoths and will have a decent amount of experience with the whole process.  ;)
Greenland will turn into a lush temperate nature preserve by then and will have more than adequate space.  Only real question is should the neanderthals be integrated in modern culture or be given the greenland domain and allowed to exist unhindered by modern ways. 

Sorry sorry dont answer that, way off topic. 

But if your gpu was alcubierre accelerated that would be pretty cool.  If the principle is valid the computer industry could afford to invest billions into it's development.  The first deep space mission could be powered by amd technology. 

Offline JasonAW3

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Re: Terrestrial applications of a "warp" drive
« Reply #6 on: 03/18/2014 04:56 pm »
It's kind of like planning for which zoos will get a unicorn.
hmmm...  Well if they do start cloning Elasmotherium, and shipping colts to zoos, they would probably need either plenty of room to gallop and graze, or enough money to keep the beasts fed.  They're huge!  The logistics for a breeding and rewinding program need to be considered as well. 

Point is: A speculation hammer is more effectually applied with specific reasoning and/or links.

Next thing you know, you'll not only clone the beasts, but send them to Mars in their own Spacesuits as riding beasts!

    At least wait until we terraform the place before you start the the Edgar Rice Burroughs stuff!  Geez!

    More to the point, as I understood it, the latest design would call for a sort of doughnut of stange matter to allow for the field effect to work.  Would expanding that field into more of a barrel shape, (if possible) further reduce the amount of strange matter required to produce the "Warp" Field?

     Could a plasma be made to replicate the same characteristics needed as strange matter, to produce the "warp" field effect?
« Last Edit: 03/18/2014 05:01 pm by JasonAW3 »
My God!  It's full of universes!

Offline MP99

Re: Terrestrial applications of a "warp" drive
« Reply #7 on: 03/18/2014 08:19 pm »
There have been sporadic news stories about Harold G. "Sonny" White and his warp drive which may some day allow faster than light travel.  It is reported to work by compressing and expanding spacetime in regions in front of and behind a vessel.  My question is if something such as a computer where placed in the compressed portion of this warp would its time reference be accelerated ie could it compute faster in relation to our point of reference.  Conversely would objects placed in the expanded space time portion of the field experience time slower than our reference plane.

As far as I remember, one of the later Star Trek series (or one of the films??) noted that computers were speeded up by using warp technology in the interconnect between components.

However, I suspect the particular method mentioned here may not work. ISTR that communication only works in one direction (backwards but not forwards in that zone, I think).

cheers, Martin

Offline 93143

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Re: Terrestrial applications of a "warp" drive
« Reply #8 on: 03/18/2014 09:21 pm »
I read one of White's papers, and it made me very dubious, but White didn't originate the "warp drive" idea.  It's a perfectly legitimate class of solutions to Einstein's field equations that isn't obviously ruled out by quantum considerations (partly because QM doesn't do gravity yet, and tends to produce goofy results when you try to force it to), and as far as I know it's still an open area of research.

In fact I get the impression that it hasn't been very thoroughly thought through yet, and that thus any research purporting to categorically rule out its technological feasibility should be taken with a grain of salt.

Regarding the OP, I suspect that the computer would be destroyed by tidal forces unless the warp field were very large...
« Last Edit: 03/19/2014 07:25 am by 93143 »

Offline su27k

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Re: Terrestrial applications of a "warp" drive
« Reply #9 on: 03/19/2014 04:54 am »
It's kind of like planning for which zoos will get a unicorn.

Hmmm, I thought planning for unicorns is exactly what this forum section is about.

As for the rest of the post, it's so wrong I don't know where to start...

Offline Stormbringer

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Re: Terrestrial applications of a "warp" drive
« Reply #10 on: 03/19/2014 10:27 pm »
It's kind of like planning for which zoos will get a unicorn.

Hmmm, I thought planning for unicorns is exactly what this forum section is about.

As for the rest of the post, it's so wrong I don't know where to start...

the recent announcement of the finding the polarization signature of cosmic inflation in the CBR means warp is possible doesn't it?
When antigravity is outlawed only outlaws will have antigravity.

Offline JasonAW3

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Re: Terrestrial applications of a "warp" drive
« Reply #11 on: 03/20/2014 10:22 pm »
It's kind of like planning for which zoos will get a unicorn.

Hmmm, I thought planning for unicorns is exactly what this forum section is about.

As for the rest of the post, it's so wrong I don't know where to start...

the recent announcement of the finding the polarization signature of cosmic inflation in the CBR means warp is possible doesn't it?

Doesn't exactly prove it, but does seem to point heavily in that direction.
My God!  It's full of universes!

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