Posted on 01/17/2014 7:17:49 AM PST by 12th_Monkey
Interstellar flight certainly ranks among the most daunting challenges ever postulated by human civilization. The distances to even the closest stars are so stupendous that constructing even a scale model of interstellar distance is impractical. For instance, if on such a model the separation of the Earth and sun is 1 inch (2.5 centimeters), the nearest star to our solar system (Proxima Centauri) would be 4.3 miles (6.9 kilometers) away!
The fastest object ever built by the human species is the Voyager 1 space probe, moving at a speed of 18 miles per second. If it were heading toward Proxima Centauri (which its not), Voyager 1 would reach our nearest stellar neighbor in about 80,000 years.
Clearly, if interstellar travel is to be accomplished on human timescales, much greater speeds are required. At 10 percent of the speed of light (a thousand times faster than Voyager 1, but a conceivable speed for likely soon-to-be-realized fusion engines), Proxima Centuri could be reached in approximately 45 years less than a human lifetime.
However, the necessary energies to achieve substantial fractions of the speed of light, thus cutting the travel time to the stars to less than a human lifetime, are equally mind-boggling.
Every pound of starship moving at 99.9 percent the speed of light will have a kinetic energy more than three times greater than the energy of the largest nuclear weapon ever detonated. Nevertheless, there may be a way of supplying an engine with such prodigious energies.
In his 1955 paper Geons, John Wheeler, one of the pioneers of the theory of black holes, coined the term "Kugelblitz" which translates literally to "ball lightning." He suggested that if enough pure energy could be focused into a region of space, that energy would form a microscopic black hole,
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
As long as 2 objects are in a state of *uniform relative motion* (no change of speed OR direction) the situation is totally reciprocal.
Sorry to dumb down this thread. But in the case of Voyager I (and others), how come the gravity of the planet increases the speed of the craft as the craft approaches, but does not slow it down to its original speed after it passes. I suppose the momentum of the craft far outweighs the effects of gravity.
Amazing to me how in the case of Voyager I they can use the “slingshot” effect around numerous planets and get the angles and math correct so when it turns it is heading towards the next planet and within the parameters to make another turn, etc.
Yes. Electrons.
Course corrections are possible. The craft have small rocket engines to facilitate minor adjustments to make sure the next pass-by is lined up for the intended effect.
Yes, it’s all in the timing and precise positioning. I’ve always visualized the gravitational slingshot effect as a planet briefly grabbing hold of a spacecraft, then flinging it outward.
“This behavior is consistent with quantum theory, and has been demonstrated experimentally with photons, electrons, molecules the size of buckyballs,[8][9] and even small diamonds.[10][11]”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3112744/posts?page=100#100
Well there goes my Nobel Prize in Physics.
I'm sure you have heard of this guy who made his mark looking into this phenomenon: John Bell
Why certainly. Belle’s Theorem. I’ve been interested in this stuff for I think about 20 years now.
Re: As long as 2 objects are in a state of *uniform relative motion* (no change of speed OR direction) the situation is totally reciprocal.
ie, each sees the other’s clock ticking out time more slowly than his own, as each can rightfully claim THEY are stationary and the other moving. It’s only when energy is added into the system causing a change in motion or direction that this symmetry breaks. An object will continue in a straight line at a constant rate of motion (inertial motion) until acted upon by an outside force.
Wormholes
Entangling two black holes, then pulling them apart, forms a wormholeessentially a shortcutconnecting them. Similarly looked at in terms of string theory, entangling two quarks does the same.[53][54]
These theoretical results support the theory that the laws of gravity are not fundamental, but instead arise from entanglement. While quantum mechanics correctly describes interactions at a microscopic level, it has not been able to explain gravity. A theory of quantum gravity would show that classical gravity is not fundamental, as Albert Einstein proposed, but rather emerges from a more basic, quantum-based phenomenon.[53]
The Schwinger effect creates two particles from a vacuum. Under an electric field, the particles can be caught before they disappear back into the vacuum. Once extracted, these particles are entangled. The entangled particles can be mapped in space-time, a four-dimensional space. In contrast, gravity is thought to exist in the fifth dimension as, according to Einsteins laws, it acts to bend and shape space-time.[53]
Holographic duality is the principle says that all events in the fifth dimension are translatable into events in the other four.[55] It reveals that a wormhole is created along with the particles. More fundamentally, the results suggest that gravity and its ability to bend space-time emerge from entanglement.[53]
Al Sharpton finally has a useful purpose !
Thanks for the info!
"While quantum mechanics correctly describes interactions at a microscopic level, it has not been able to explain gravity."
Gravity, the one thing the man on the street thinks he understands, continues to mystify the physicists. And me too. As far as I know, those famous Gravity Waves that Einstein and others believed in have never been detected.
Gravity, thou art a true mystery. At least for now.
that is a very interesting idea
I mainly meant it was interesting because it specifically linked worm holes to what we were recently discussing here: quantum entanglement/”spooky action at a distance”. I never knew that the worm hole hypothesis, or whatever one calls it, was linked to quantum entanglement.
Is this true for objects with no mass ?
Yes, thats the first time I’ve heard of that too
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