Don’t waste your time, fellow scientists. The contest is effectively over. I’ve just finished work on a practical warp drive. Where do I go to collect that grant money?
Here I am running some final tests.
Posted on 04/15/2024 7:58:38 AM PDT by Red Badger
International Thinktank Applied Physics (AP) has released its “Warp Factory” simulator and toolkit to help scientists and engineers move closer to building a real-world Star Trek-style warp drive. Having already established itself in the nascent field of warp mechanics with the previous release of its “physical warp drive” design in 2021, AP is now offering its expertise to the broader community to advance the development of existing and future warp drive concepts.
The Public Benefit Corporation is also putting its money where its mouth is by offering warp field theorists a chance at $500,000 worth of grant money, a commitment the organization describes as an example of its “firm grounding in humanitarian and commercial scientific solutions.”
“Warp Factory serves as a reality check for warp drive designs,” explained AP’s Dr. Christopher Helmerich in an email to The Debrief. “By analyzing designs in a comprehensive and automated manner, we can identify unphysical characteristics more efficiently than ever before. This means we can steer the development of warp drive technology toward designs that can, hopefully, be built and operated in the future.”
WARP FACTORY APPROACH ALLOWS RESEARCHERS TO EXPLORE COMPLEX STRUCTURE OF WARP DRIVES
Alongside a detailed paper published in the journal Classical and Quantum Gravity, AP has made all of the Warp Factory papers, documents, simulators, and software tools available on their website. The Warp Factory toolkit is also available directly on GitHub.
In a phone call with The Debrief, AP’s CEO, founder, and co-author of both the original physical warp drive design and the recent Warp Factory paper explained that his group is painfully aware of how small the community of scientists and researchers currently exploring warp drive metrics and their possible solutions currently is. However, he says his international group of physicists and scientists believes that tools like this will not only aid those already in the community but also encourage new minds to take on the challenge of making science fiction-style spaced travel a reality.
“It’s only a handful of groups right now,” Martire told The Debrief. “But we think a tool like Warp Factory could not only help those already exploring this field but also attract fresh minds since they will now have a whole new set of powerful tools not previously available.”
Among the core components of Warp Factory that will make that mission possible is a 2D and 3D visual warp simulator. According to its inventors, this visualization tool can display “spacetime metrics and their related stress-energy tensors” in a way engineers can easily interpret and understand. AP says their simulator will also help facilitate “the study and comprehension of these intricate spacetimes.”
“Using the numerical approach of Warp Factory enables us to see the complex structure of warp drives that are rarely explored in detail,” explained AP’s Dr. Jared Fuchs in an email to The Debrief. “This has given us new insights into how they can be constructed and, hopefully, improved upon.”
Aside from the simulator, Warp Factory also includes a software toolkit that lets users “explore Einstein’s field equations, assess the energy conditions, and calculate metric scalars” that underlie the physics of theoretical warp drive models.
“Exploring warp drives is a fun way to push the bounds of our theories of physics and see what strange and interesting solutions might (or might not) be possible in our universe,” Fuchs told The Debrief.
APPLIED PHYSICS OFFERING GRANTS TO HELP HUMANITY USHER IN THE WARP AGE
In an effort to encourage more scientists and engineers to join their mission, AP is offering a chance to partner with them at AP’s Advanced Propulsion Laboratory. This includes a chance to receive financial support in the form of the $500,000 Warp Grants program.
Given the scarcity of funds in most fields of theoretical research, the group believes that this grant program can prop up current and future researchers alike to push the boundaries of physics, thereby moving the entire mission of a working war drive closer to reality.
“APL is proud to provide the scientific community with $500,000 USD in Phase I warp grants,” the company explains. “The first phase is dedicated to achieving incremental steps that will further our understanding of warp bubbles and their potential advancements in propulsion as humanity enters the Warp Age.”
Although the handful of researchers in this nascent field all acknowledge that actually building a working warp drive is still far off in the future, the folks at AP say they are confident that it is doable. They also say that their new Warp Factory is one of the most significant advances in warp field research to date since it offers researchers a virtual simulation suite like those enjoyed by engineers in advanced aerospace and automotive design.
“Physicists can now generate and refine an array of warp drive designs with just a few clicks, allowing us to advance science at warp speed,” said Martire. “Warp Factory serves as a virtual wind tunnel, enabling us to test and evaluate different warp designs.”
“Science fiction is now inching closer to science fact,” he added.
Christopher Plain is a Science Fiction and Fantasy novelist and Head Science Writer at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on X, learn about his books at plainfiction.com, or email him directly at christopher@thedebrief.org.
What is a “warp drive”?
A drive that ‘warps Space-Time’ in front of the vessel so that it can traverse long distances without breaking Einstein’s Speed Limit.................
Don’t waste your time, fellow scientists. The contest is effectively over. I’ve just finished work on a practical warp drive. Where do I go to collect that grant money?
Here I am running some final tests.
Old Bay Seasoning is a nice touch..................
Because the continuim is "warped" this does not violate Einstein's theory of relativity.
Such a design appears to be much more practical for small vehicles. Perhaps automated "drones" would be the first use of such a drive.
Go where no man has ....well, you know,....Ping!..................
I have to say...every time I see William Shatner these days, I like him more and more.
He is extremely self-effacing, and I find that a positive thing in guys like him!
Engage…..👉
Yes we know that your theory is worth Billions and Billions, but the best I can do is $500,000. Do we have a deal ?
That was part of why Star Trek was so popular. The right mix of fantasy, comedy and science fiction with a great cast of actors................
The Public Benefit Corporation? IOW, left wing scam. Thanks Red Badger.
Here is a link to their "Warp Factory" software referenced in the article: https://github.com/NerdsWithAttitudes/WarpFactory
-PJ
Shatner just had his 93rd birthday a few weeks ago.
ikr just had some on roasted fingerling potatoes last evening
Picard was such a clown
Lady Ga Ga’s mom was in it
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