The problem of a material object exceeding light speed is that an infinite amount of kinetic energy would be required to travel at exactly the speed of light. Its initial value is 1 (when v = 0) and as velocity approaches the speed of light ( v → c) γ increases without bound ( γ → ∞).Įinstein's theory of special relativity states that speed of light travel is impossible for material objects that, unlike photons, have a non-zero rest mass. Lorentz factor γ as a function of velocity. : 212, 268 Einstein's space warp and real-world physics : 77 Brave New Words gave the earliest example of the term 'space-warp drive' as Fredric Brown's Gateway to Darkness (1949), and also cited an unnamed story from Cosmic Stories (May 1941) as using the word 'warp' in the context of space travel, although the usage of this term as a 'bend or curvature' in space which facilitates travel can be traced to several works at as far back as the mid-1930s, for example Jack Williamson's The Cometeers (1936). Campbell in his 1957 novel Islands of Space. The general concept of warp drive was introduced by John W. In contrast to hyperspace, spacecraft at warp velocity would continue to interact with objects in 'normal space'. In contrast to some other fictitious faster-than-light technologies such as a jump drive, the warp drive does not permit instantaneous travel and transfers between two points, but rather involves a measurable passage of time which is pertinent to the concept. : 142 A spacecraft equipped with a warp drive may travel at speeds greater than that of light by many orders of magnitude. : 238–239 A warp drive is a device that distorts the shape of the space-time continuum. It has been often discussed as being conceptually similar to hyperspace. Warp drive, or a drive enabling space warp, is one of several ways of travelling through space found in science fiction.

Its closest real-life equivalent is the Alcubierre drive, a theoretical solution of the field equations of general relativity.

Campbell in his 1957 novel Islands of Space and was popularized by the Star Trek series. The general concept of 'warp drive' was introduced by John W. During this process, the body is said to be moving with a warp speed.Artist impression of the view in front of a space ship traveling using warp driveĪ warp drive or a drive enabling space warp is a fictional superluminal spacecraft propulsion system in many science fiction works, most notably Star Trek, and a subject of ongoing physics research. In this way, the body sometimes takes irregular shapes and covers a distance of millions of light years in no time, because the passage of time for that moving body has vanished. In other words, no time passes inside the event horizon of the moving body. When the body reaches the speed of light 'c', its length becomes zero, its mass becomes infinite and the time factor vanishes. These factors keep on increasing and decreasing with the increase in velocity. They sometimes refer to Einstein's theory that time and space form a continuum which bends, folds or warps from the observer's point of view, relative to such factors as movement or gravitation, but are also used in reference to more fantastic notions of discontinuities or other irregularities in spacetime not based on real-world science.Īccording to Einstein's theory of general relativity, when a body of mass 'm' and volume 'V' moves with a velocity 'v', then its physical properties change in many ways. The terms time warp, space warp and time-space warp are commonly used in science fiction. Freebase Rate this definition: 0.0 / 0 votes

Time warp definition