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It sounds like science fiction, but spaceships that travel at warp speed are possible, according to a top scientist.
In a recent study, physicist Dr Erik Lentz described a way in which a rocket could theoretically travel faster than light – more than 186,000 miles per second.
At this speed, astronauts could reach other star systems in just a few years, allowing humanity to colonize distant planets.
Current rocket technology would take around 6,300 years to reach Proxima Centauri, the star closest to our Sun.
So-called “distortion trainings” have been proposed before, but are often based on theoretical systems that break the laws of physics.
Indeed, according to Einstein’s general theory of relativity, it is physically impossible for anything to travel faster than the speed of light.
Dr Lentz, a scientist at the University of Göttingen in Germany, says his imaginary distortion training would operate within the limits of physics.
While other theories rely on “exotic” concepts, like negative energy, he gets around this problem by using a new theoretical particle.
These hyper-fast “solitons” can travel at any speed while obeying the laws of physics, according to a press release from the University of Göttingen.
A soliton – also called a “warp bubble” – is a compact wave that acts like a particle while maintaining its shape and moving at a constant speed.
Dr Lentz said he concocted his theory after analyzing existing research and finding gaps in previous studies of warp drives.
He believes solitons could travel faster than light and “create conductive plasma and classical electromagnetic fields.”
These two concepts are understood in conventional physics and obey Einstein’s theory of relativity.
While his warp drive offers the tantalizing possibility of traveling faster than light, he’s still very much in the idea at the moment.
The craft would require an enormous amount of energy which is not possible with modern technology.
“The energy savings would have to be drastic, around 30 orders of magnitude to be within the reach of modern nuclear fission reactors,” said Dr Lentz.
“Fortunately, several energy saving mechanisms have been proposed in previous research that can potentially reduce the energy required by nearly 60 orders of magnitude.”
The astrophysicist said he would now focus his efforts on developing a viable version of the technology.
“This work has shifted the problem of faster-than-light travel from one step away from theoretical research in basic physics and closer to engineering,” Dr. Lentz said.
“The next step is to figure out how to bring the astronomical amount of energy needed within the reach of current technologies, such as a large modern fission nuclear power plant. Then we can talk about the construction of the first prototypes. “
The research was published in the journal Classical and Quantum Gravity.
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