Scientists say the warp drive, once confined to the realm of Star Trek and other works of science fiction, is slowly edging toward legitimate physics.
Long considered an impossible fantasy, the idea of bending spacetime to travel faster has been re-examined with new theoretical models. Researchers believe a “warp bubble” capable of moving a ship through space without violating relativity may not be as far-fetched as once thought.
Fiction to physics
First formalized in 1994, physicist Miguel Alcubierre proposed contracting space ahead of a ship and expanding it behind to create faster-than-light motion. His model, however, required unattainable “negative energy” on the scale of a star.
Per National Geographic, in 2021, astrophysicists Alexey Bobrick and Gianni Martire revisited the theory, suggesting a version that would eliminate the need for negative energy. Their design stipulated that any such device would only be able to reach speeds slower than light and would still require immense power, however.
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