Null geodesics in the Alcubierre warp drive spacetime: the view from the bridge

Abstract

The null geodesic equations in the Alcubierre warp drive spacetime are numerically integrated to determine the angular deflection and redshift of photons which propagate through the distortion of the ``warp drive'' bubble to reach an observer at the origin of the warp effect. We find that for a starship with an effective warp speed exceeding the speed of light, stars in the forward hemisphere will appear closer to the direction of motion than they would to an observer at rest. This aberration is qualitatively similar to that caused by special relativity. Behind the starship, a conical region forms from within which no signal can reach the starship, an effective ``horizon''. Conversely, there is also an horizon-like structure in a conical region in front of the starship, into which the starship cannot send a signal. These causal structures are somewhat analogous to the Mach cones associated with supersonic fluid flow. The existence of these structures suggests that the divergence of quantum vacuum energy when the starship effectively exceeds the speed of light, first discovered in two dimensions, will likely be present in four dimensions also, and prevent any warp-drive starship from ever exceeding the effective speed of light.

14 pages + 3 figures, REVTeX

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