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Reduced total energy requirements for a modifiedAlcubierre warp drive spacetime
F. Loup
Royal Sun Alliance
Avenida Duque De Avila 141 2 Andar 1050 Lisbon Portugal
∗
D. Waite
Modern Relativity 
†
E. Halerewicz, Jr.
Lincoln Land Community College
5250 Shepherd Road, Springfield, IL 62794 USA
‡
July 29, 2001
Abstract
It can be shown that negative energy requirements within the Alcu-bierre spacetime can be greatly reduced when one introduces a lapse func-tion into the Einstein tensor. Thereby reducing the negative energy re-quirements of the warp drive spacetime arbitrarily as a function of 
A
(
ct,ρ
).With this function new quantum inequality restrictions are investigatedin a general form. Finally a pseudo method for controlling a warp bubbleat a velocity greater than that of light is presented.
1 Introduction
In recent years the possibility of interstellar travel within a human lifetime hasbecome a hurtle for theoretical physics to over come. The discussion involvesthe use of radically transforming the geometry of spacetime to act as a globalmeans of providing apparent Faster Than Light (FTL) travel. In 1994 MiguelAlcubierre then of Wales University introduced an arbitrary spacetime func-tion which provided an apparent means of FTL travel within the frame work of General Relativity (GR) [1]. The drawbacks of this revolutionary new form of propulsion results from the production of causally disconnected spacetime re-gions and major violations of the standard energy conditions within GR. Furtherinvestigations into the warp drive spacetime have suggested that any manipu-lation of the spacetime coordinates in regards to FTL travel requires negative
∗
This address is given for mailing purposes only, although I hold a professional position atthe above establishment my work was carried out independently and does not reflect RSA.;email: loupwarp@yahoo.com
†
homepage:http://www.modernrelativity.com; email: FineS137@aol.com
‡
Student of above institution only; email: ehj@warpnet.net
1
 
Loup, Waite, Halerewicz
Reduced total energy requirements
energy densities [2]. Alcubierre’s generic model coupled with causally discon-nected spacetime regions and large negative energy densities make it hard tobuild a justifiable model of a working warp drive spacetime. However recently ithas been shown that quantum inequalities can allow for the existence of negativeenergy densities [3], and it has also been found that classical scalar fields cangenerate large fluxes of negative energy in comparison to Quantum Inequality(QI) restrictions [4]. Coupled with recent astrophysical and cosmological obser-vations in support of negative energy in the form of Quintessence [5]we feel thatthere is still new life to be brought into the warp drive spacetime. The oncedistant dream of reaching the stars may become a reality with the aid of thewarp drive spacetime using latin we can express our motto as Ex Somnium AdAstra (ESAA) which translates; from a dream to the stars
1
. The following workwas made possible as a collaboration of the ESAA motto in order to producea physically justifiable model of the warp drive spacetime
2
.The inspirationbehind this work was to choose a somewhat less arbitrary means of defining the
Alcubierre Warp Drive
spacetime. Specifically we have set out the task of re-defining the functions of the warp drive spacetime in order to reduce the overallenergy requirements as seen in respect to the Einstein tensor.
1.1 The Alcubierre spacetime
The Story of the Warp Drive begins with the Alcubierre paper [1], where wehave the following metric:
ds
2
=
dt
2
−
(
dx
−
v
s
f 
(
r
s
)
dt
)
2
−
dy
2
−
dz
2
.
(1)We havealsomodified the metric signaturein (1) to correspondto (1
,
−
1
,
−
1
,
−
1),for reasons which will become clear in later sections. The Alcubierre spacetimeis further defined with the following functions
v
s
(
t
) =
dx
s
(
t
)
dt
(2)
r
s
(
t
) = [(
x
−
x
s
(
t
))
2
+
y
2
+
z
2
]
1
/
2
.
(3)This spacetime model is often referred to a ‘top hat’ model, by means of a bumpparameter
σ
, which is seen through
f 
(
r
s
) =tanh(
σ
(
r
s
+
R
))
−
tanh(
σ
(
r
s
−
R
))2tanh(
σR
)(4)This equation then allows for a “warp bubble” to develop in which a
star ship
may ride. The generalities of the Alcubierre top hat function can be describedby the given volume expansion
θ
=
v
s
x
s
r
s
df dr
s
.
(5)
1
The authors would like to note that the ESAA motto was created by Simon Jenks whohelped to formalize the early discussions regarding this work.
2
The collaboration of this work was made possible through the online discussions forum;
Alcubierre Warp Drive
currently available at the f ollowing URL:http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/alcubierrewarpdrive
2
 
Loup, Waite, Halerewicz
Reduced total energy requirements
This is where we receive our first scientific definition of a ‘warp drive.’
Thevolume elements expand behind the spaceship, while contracting in front of it 
.The draw back of this work occurs with equation 19, where the energy density
T 
ab
n
a
n
b
violates the weak, strong, and dominate energy conditions as seen byan Eulerian observer [1]:
ρ
=
T 
ab
n
a
n
b
=
a
2
T 
00
=
c
2
8
πGG
00
=
−
c
2
8
πGv
2
s
ρ
2
4
r
2
s
df dr
s
2
.
(6)
2 The ESAA spacetime
One can choose to describe the function of the warp drive in relationship to thefunction
g
(
ρ
), where
ρ
=
r
s
and
g
(
ρ
) = 1
−
f 
(
ρ
). We approach this aspect ina manner not to dissimilar to the one chosen by Hiscock [6] where we impose apseudo metric transformation through the following functions
g
00
=
A
(
ρ
)
2
−
[
v
s
(
r
)
g
(
ρ
)]
2
(7)
g
01
=
g
10
=
−
v
s
g
(
ρ
) (8)
g
11
=
g
22
=
g
33
=
−
1 (9)In order to reduce the energy requirements arbitrarily we consider the followinglapse function
A
(
ct,ρ
). Where have set
A
= 1 both at the location of the ship,and far from it, but allow it to become large in the warped region following thelapse function
A
(
ct,ρ
). Such that the above functions (7-9) have the following metric signature in cylindrical coordinates:
ds
2
= [(
A
)
−
v
s
(
r
)
g
(
ρ
)]
2
+ 2
v
s
g
(
ρ
)
dctdz
′
−
dz
′
2
−
dr
2
−
r
2
dφ
2
.
(10)We further define (10) with the following coordinate transformation:
z
′
=
z
−
 
ct
v
s
dct
(11)such that the ship velocity has the following definition
v
s
= 1 =
c
therebyarriving at
ds
2
= (
A
(
ct,ρ
)
2
−
v
s
(
ct
)
2
g
(
ρ
)
2
)
dct
2
−
2
v
s
(
ct
)
g
(
ρ
)cos(
θ
)
dctdr
+ 2
v
s
(
ct
)
g
(
ρ
)sin(
θ
)
ρ dctdθ
−
dr
2
−
ρ
2
dθ
2
−
ρ
2
sin
2
(
θ
)
dφ
2
.
(12)Thus the exact the solution for the Einstein tensor
G
00
for (12) is given by
G
ct ct
=
−
14
v
s
(
ct
)
2
∂ ∂ρ
g
(
ρ
)
sin
2
(
θ
)
/
A
(
ct,ρ
)
2
−
v
s
(
ct
)
2
g
(
ρ
)
2
+
v
s
(
ct
)
2
g
(
ρ
)
2
cos
2
(
θ
) +
v
s
(
ct
)
2
g
(
ρ
)
2
sin
2
(
θ
)
2
(13)where we have imposed the trigonometric identity
sin
2
(
θ
) +
cos
2
(
θ
) = 1.We now just briefly discuss how the dramatic energy reductions can occurwithin the warp drive spacetime. First beginning with the Alcubierre metric inthe ship frame coordinates which is stated so that the function of interest is
g
(
ρ
)instead of 
f 
(
ρ
). Alcubierre originally introduced a gravitational time dilationterm that doesn’t limit ship speed in the
g
00
term of his metric that has been3
of 00

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