Conformal Gravity and the Alcubierre Warp Drive Metric

Abstract

We present an analysis of the classic Alcubierre metric based on conformal gravity, rather than standard general relativity. The main characteristics of the resulting warp drive remain the same as in the original study by Alcubierre, namely that effective super-luminal motion is a viable outcome of the metric. We show that for particular choices of the shaping function, the Alcubierre metric in the context of conformal gravity does not violate the weak energy condition, as was the case of the original solution. In particular, the resulting warp drive does not require the use of exotic matter. Therefore, if conformal gravity is a correct extension of general relativity, super-luminal motion via an Alcubierre metric might be a realistic solution, thus allowing faster-than-light interstellar travel.

24 pages, including 6 figures

References in corpus (5)

• Making the Case for Conformal Gravity
• Impact of a global quadratic potential on galactic rotation curves
• Schwarzschild limit of conformal gravity in the presence of macroscopic scalar fields
• The Alcubierre Warp Drive: On the Matter of Matter
• Detailed study of null and time-like geodesics in the Alcubierre Warp spacetime

Cited by in corpus (9)

• Introducing Physical Warp Drives
• Wormhole geometries in fourth-order conformal Weyl gravity
• Quantum Tunneling and Quasinormal Modes in the Spacetime of Alcubierre Warp Drive
• Ergosphere, photon region structure, and the shadow of a rotating charged Weyl black hole
• Classical tests on a charged Weyl black hole: bending of light, Shapiro delay and Sagnac effect
• Motion of massive particles around a charged Weyl black hole and the geodetic precession of orbiting gyroscopes
• Escape from a black hole with spherical warp drive
• Obstacles from interstellar matters and distortion in warp drive superluminal travel scenario
• On the total energy conservation of the Alcubierre spacetime