In Star Trek, dilithium crystals — no matter these are — are vital to the operation of a starship’s warp drives. However a Texas professor thinks he could make a child step in the direction of a warp drive utilizing ethylene glycol, which is often present in antifreeze.

Whereas superluminal journey has been considered inconceivable for a few years, current work has recommended methods we would have the ability to circumvent the light-speed barrier. Sadly, all of those mathematical theories require vitality and kinds of matter that we don’t know how one can create but. However [Dr. Chance Glen] believes that by shaping the vitality in a selected manner by a dielectric, the mathematics can work out in order that there’s no unique unfavorable vitality required.

The experiment includes taking pictures RF vitality into an antifreeze container and utilizing a laser interferometer to detect gravity waves.  In fact, that may contain some very delicate measurements to account for different tiny perturbations which may give false readings. As we’ve seen up to now, that’s a job simpler mentioned than carried out.

Does this make sense? Beats us. Our physics and math are too outdated to make a very good guess about how a lot of that is actual and the way a lot is hype. In fact, if he does detect gravity waves, that’s will get us as near warp drive because the invention of the telegraph received us to cell telephones. Then once more, it’s a must to begin someplace.

If you wish to know extra in regards to the state of rocket engines, together with the nascent chance of warp drives, we’ve mentioned that earlier than. By the way, should you assume the experiment sounds a bit just like the the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO), you aren’t improper.