Obstacles from interstellar matters and distortion in warp drive superluminal travel scenario

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the physical obstacles faced by superluminal warp drive travel, focusing on interactions with interstellar matter and curvature effects that intensify at higher speeds.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of how interstellar dust, photons, and spacetime curvature impact warp drive feasibility at superluminal velocities.

Findings

Collision pressures increase with velocity

Curvature-induced forces scale with velocity squared and to the fourth power

Obstacles become significant at high superluminal speeds

Abstract

We investigate obstacles of superluminal "warp drive" travels from interactions with interstellar matter and from curvature effects. The effect of collision of interstellar dust particles and photons with the spacecraft will all lead to a pressure proportional to the apparent velocity of the spaceship $v_s$. The force exerted on the spacecraft from the curvature effect has two non-trivial components. The radial and longitudinal components scales as $v_s^2$ and $v_s^4$ respectively. The above obstacles become increasingly important when the spaceship travels at high superluminal speeds.