Faster than Light (FTL) travel is not possible, according
to current laws of physics regarding the speed of light. Using
other methods to achieve speeds that are seemingly faster than
light, have been proposed. The most popular method, which have
been used especially in science-fiction, is the use of wormholes.
The other method is quantum teleportation, with quantum teleportation
without the need for a receiver at the destination, being the ultimate
hocus-pocus physics mode of travel -- see quantum teleportation below.
Pulse Fusion Drive
The first, probable, achievable means of travel near light speed,
will be pulse fusion drive. Inertial confinement fusion, magneto
inertial fusion, and magnetized target fusion are the principal
designs which most engineers are considering. Speeds that are faster,
than that of ion drives, can be reached; allowing return trips to Mars
in two weeks, and trips to Titan in 6 weeks.
Antimatter Drive
Another possible, achievable means of travel near light speed, is
the antimatter drive. Several versions of antimatter drives have
been put forth; such as, pure antimatter drives, thermal antimatter
drives, catalyzed fission/fusion or spiked fusion drives, which are
based on the following designs: solid core, gaseous core, plasma core,
and beamed core. A beamed core design has recently been proposed
-- beamed core antimatter propulsion: engine design and optimization
by Ronan L. Keane and Wei-Ming Zhang -- which is capable of reaching
70% of light speed. The attractiveness of antimatter drives is the
possibility of generating antimatter particles on-board ship; thereby
negating the need to store fuel. This would allow a much higher
percentage of usable cargo to be put on-board ship. It might be
possible, in the future, to create antimatter with desktop particle
accelerators; which could be put on-board spacecrafts, as fuel generators.
Gravity Drive
Gravity, as explained with current physics, is caused by the space
warping effects of the gravitational waves emitted by a given mass.
We believe that these waves can be harnessed, somehow. They can be
tuned to reassert their effects on the space your mass is occupying.
This would allow for the creation of a well, into which one could
continuously fall, as one moves. We assume that the energy required
is low enough to make the task achievable.
Within the solar system, a probe can literally navigate by the stars,
as long as, the gravitational waves of the emitting star can be tuned
and amplified. The idea of a gravity engine, which can rudder by the
stars or solar system bodies, and throttle using the level of
amplification of the waves is appealing -- see Gravity.
Travel by Light Beam
The idea that light could be a mode of transportation, is based on
the premise that a stream of photons exerts a push, however minute,
on everything that intersects its path. Light particles, photons,
such as highly energetic gamma ray photons exert a push on any mass
including stars; gravity then redirects their path around the mass.
We posit that a high energy beam of photons can be made to behave
like a river of photons, where their movement dynamics are modified,
to resemble the movement dynamics of fluids. This change in dynamics
would only occur, as the photons are moving around a mass. It is the
mass itself, which would influence the photons's movement through
the use of a generated field, with or without a gravity engine, or
a material coating, allowing the photons to both push and pull on
the moving mass. The push exerted is not a straightly kinetic one.
The idea of using a powerful wide-diameter laser, to push a spaceship
to its destination is possible, given the explanation above. The ship
would have to embed itself within the beam, to let the photons
generate the acceleration. This mode of travel, which constrains one
to normal space, would be the only safe way to travel near light speed;
as the very high energy photons will cut a path in front of your moving
mass.
Holding a nano diamond in mid air with two opposite laser beams
has been achieved.
Getting electrons to move like particles in a fluid has been achieved.
Inertial Dampening
The idea of reducing travel time by increasing initial acceleration
and arrival deceleration, would be limited to the level of stress the
passengers can withstand, which reasonably, could be no more than 3g.
Using a gravity engine to protect astronauts, passengers, cockpit
area, and cargo area, by encasing or trapping them within a well
would allow for maximum acceleration and deceleration to be applied
according to the spaceship specifications; but, the gravity engines
would have to be an integral part of the ship's structure. A ship
properly built, could be made to withstand several thousands g, if
not ten of thousands of g.
Inertial dampening in this case is a misnomer. With inertial dampening,
a countervailing force must be applied to counteract the inertia
imparted to a mass, usually through the use of gyroscopic motors.
With a gravity engine; the mass, which is within the well, is not
subjected to any force from any mass which is not also within the well.
The only body which can influence the mass within a well, is the body
which created the well. The only way, other bodies can influence a
mass within a well created by another body, is indirectly, e.g.
the earth's tides caused by the moon's gravitational impact which
could cause small fluctuations in the orbit of satellites.
Quantum Teleportation
The ultimate mode of travel is teleportation, where one can simply
zap oneself to one's destination. Teleportation of information has
already been demonstrated with photons; where the photon is re-shaped
on the receiving end, by using a template photon.
The idea of teleporting mass such as a person can be entertained; if
a method of deconstructing a person can be developed and another to
re-create the said person on the other side, using a set of atomic
and molecular templates.
An alternative method of teleportation of mass; which may not require
a receiver, demands a shift in the current understanding of space.
It is a mode of quantum teleportation of mass where the mass itself is
made to occupy another set of coordinates in space; and not a transfer
of information, as in the currently understood method presented above.
This method of teleportation requires the agent to constrains the object
to be teleported. By constraining, we mean to restrict -- to force it to
make certain choices over others, akin to two atoms in a chemical reaction,
where one is the agent and the other, the object acted upon --
its natural tendency to be at many places at once, what is usually referred
to as superposition [2].
We posit that the teleportation of atoms. entire molecules, and even objects
such as a football is possible; first, the object, acted upon, must be seized,
and its quantum mechanical nature accessed, in order to be able to tell it, that
it should choose to be at another location selected by the agent.
The goal of the following thought experiment, is to offer an
explanation; as, to how, any two points in this universe can be
the same point, or could be the same point given a certain context.
This idea can be used to explain non-locality or spooky action at a distance -- see Non-Locality.
Any amount of space can be seen as a sphere, and any sphere can
be collapsed into a plane or a point -- the Poincaré conjecture.
A mathematical proof has been offered by Grigori Perelman, which
solves the Poincaré conjecture. We postulate that based on
the offered proof, that any point on the sphere, is the point into
which the sphere collapses, heretofore referred to as the
point sphere.
We also add that given the previous statement, that any two points on
the sphere are actually the same point, since either one can be the
point sphere.
Taking everything stated above into account; the idea of somehow
teleporting mass to its destination without the need for a receiver
becomes plausible -- see Teleportation follow-up. An experiment can
be attempted with particles/ions, where a given particle is made to
occupy a set of coordinated in space, which is different from its
initially detected location. Such an experiment could use the
published results of an experiment dealing with ions in superfluid
Helium [1].
Non-Locality
From the Wikipedia -- In physics, non-locality or action at a
distance is the direct interaction of two objects that are separated
in space with no perceivable intermediate agency or mechanism.
The main example of non-locality, in action, is the entanglement
of two particles. Our premise is that, as particles are entangled,
a space-time link is created between two quantum systems -- the
systems representing the physical counterparts of both particles.
These two systems can share information; and the manner in which
said information is shared, is through a context switch; which allows
the transmitted information to be injected into the physical system
of the receiving particle.
The context switch is based on the perceived location of either
physical systems in relation to their quantum counterparts.
In the point sphere
context, the quantum systems of both particles occupy the same
location. They then switch to the
sphere
context, where their physical counterparts are located, in order
to transfer the information from one system to the other.
Entropy dictates that an expenditure of energy should be observed
at every context switch. Therefore we surmise that an energy
fluctuation occurs whenever an entangled particle gets tweaked in
order to influence its counterpart.
Teleportation follow-up
A means of bypassing the entanglement phase is required; since,
the collapse of the intervening space takes place during the
entanglement phase; said collapse can be seen, as a simple context
switch. The teleportation would then just transpose the location
occupied by the quantum representation of the mass onto the
destination location; or, what would be seen as the location of
the opposite physical system, as in an actual entanglement of two
systems.
[1] Study of Exotic Ions in Superfluid Helium and the Possible Fission
of the Electron Wave Function W. Wei, Z. Xie, L. N. Cooper,
G. M. Seidel, H. J. Maris
[2] Ideal negative measurements in quantum walks disprove theories based on classical trajectories.
Physical Review X, 2015 DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevX.5.011003
Carsten Robens, Wolfgang Alt, Dieter Meschede, Clive Emary and Andrea Alberti.
Pierre Innocent