Krauss, Lawrence - The Physics of Star Trek

LawrenceKraussisAmbroseSwaseyProfessorofPhysics,ProfessorofAstronomyandChairmanoftheDepartmentof PhysicsatCaseWesternReserveUniversity.Heistheauthoroftwoacclaimedbooks,

FearofPhysics: AGuideforthePerplexed

and

TheFifthEssence:TheSearchforDarkMatterintheUniverse,

andover120scientificarticles.Heistherecipientofseveralinternationalawardsforhiswork,includingthePresidentialInvestigatorAward,givenbyPresidentReaganin1986.Helecturesextensivelytobothlayandprofessionalaudiencesandfrequentlyappearsonradioandtelevision.Furtherpraisefor

ThePhysicsofStarTrek:

'Alwaysenlightening...thisbookisfun,andMrKrausshasanicetouchwithatoughsubject...Kraussissmart,butspeaksandwritesthecommontongue.'JAMESGORMAN,NewYorkTimesBookReview'Entertainingandfascinating.'ManchesterEveningNews'Abrilliantbook'STEVEFARRAR,CambridgeEveningNews'Highlyrecommended'M.J.SIMPSON,

SFX

'Delightful...

ThePhysicsofStarTrek

isanexcellentguidetothe

StarTrek

universeforanamateur scientist.'JOSEPHSILK,

TimesHigher

"ButI

canna

changethelawsofphysics,Captain!"

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(Scotty,toKirk,innumerabletimes)CONTENTSFOREWORDbyStephenHawking.3PREFACE.4THEPHYSICSOFSTARTREK ..5SECTIONONE—ACosmicPokerGame—Inwhichthephysicsofinertialdampersandtractor beamspavesthewayfortimetravel,warpspeed,deflectorshields,wormholes,andotherspace-timeoddities.6CHAPTERONE—NEWTONAntes.7CHAPTERTWO—EINSTEINRaises.10CHAPTERTHREE–HAWKINGShowsHisHand.17CHAPTERFOUR–DATAEndstheGame.26SECTIONTWO—MatterMatterEverywhere—Inwhichthereaderexplorestransporterbeams,warpdrives,dilithiumcrystals,matter-antimatterengines,andtheholodeck .28CHAPTERFIVE—AtomsorBits.29CHAPTERSIX—TheMostBangforYourBuck .36CHAPTERSEVEN—HolodecksandHolograms.42SECTIONTHREE—TheInvisibleUniverse,orThingsThatGoBumpintheNight—Inwhichwespeakofthingsthatmayexistbutarenotyetseen—extraterrestriallife,multipledimensions,andanexoticzooofotherphysicspossibilitiesandimpossibilities46CHAPTEREIGHT—TheSearchforSpock .57CHAPTERNINE—TheMenagerieofPossibilities.65CHAPTERTEN—Impossibilities:TheUndiscoverableCountry.74EPILOGUE.80NOTES.81FOREWORDbyStephenHawking

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IwasverypleasedthatDatadecidedtocallNewton,Einstein,andmeforagameofpokeraboardthe

Enterprise.

Herewasmychancetoturnthetablesonthetwogreatmenofgravity,particularlyEinstein,whodidn'tbelieveinchanceorinGodplayingdice.Unfortunately,Inevercollectedmywinnings becausethegamehadtobeabandonedonaccountofaredalert.IcontactedParamountstudiosafterwardtocashinmychips,buttheydidn'tknowtheexchangerate.SciencefictionlikeStarTrekisnotonlygoodfunbutitalsoservesaseriouspurpose,thatofexpandingthehumanimagination.Wemaynotyetbeabletoboldlygowherenoman(orwoman)hasgonebefore, butatleastwecandoitinthemind.Wecanexplorehowthehumanspiritmightrespondtofuturedevelopmentsinscienceandwecanspeculateonwhatthosedevelopmentsmightbe.Thereisatwo-waytradebetweensciencefictionandscience.Sciencefictionsuggestsideasthatscientistsincorporateintotheirtheories,butsometimesscienceturnsupnotionsthatarestrangerthananysciencefiction.Blackholesareanexample,greatlyassistedbytheinspirednamethatthephysicistJohnArchibaldWheelergavethem.Hadtheycontinuedwiththeiroriginalnamesof"frozenstars"or "gravitationallycompletelycollapsedobjects,"therewouldn'thavebeenhalfsomuchwrittenaboutthem.OnethingthatStarTrekandothersciencefictionhavefocusedattentiononistravelfasterthanlight.Indeed,itisabsolutelyessentialtoStarTrek'sstoryline.Ifthe

Enterprise

wererestrictedtoflyingjustunderthespeedoflight,itmightseemtothecrewthattheroundtriptothecenterofthegalaxytookonlyafewyears,but80,000yearswouldhaveelapsedonEarthbeforethespaceship'sreturn.Somuchfor goingbacktoseeyourfamily!Fortunately,Einstein'sgeneraltheoryofrelativityallowsthepossibilityforawayaroundthisdifficulty:onemightbeabletowarpspace-timeandcreateashortcutbetweentheplacesonewantedtovisit.Althoughthereareproblemsofnegativeenergy,itseemsthatsuchwarpingmightbewithinour capabilitiesinthefuture.Therehasnotbeenmuchseriousscientificresearchalongtheselines,however, partly,Ithink,becauseitsoundstoomuchlikesciencefiction.Oneoftheconsequencesofrapidinterstellartravelwouldbethatonecouldalsotravelbackintime.Imaginetheoutcryaboutthewasteof taxpayers'moneyifitwereknownthattheNationalScienceFoundationweresupportingresearchontimetravel.Forthisreason,scientistsworkinginthisfieldhavetodisguisetheirrealinterestbyusingtechnicaltermslike"closedtimelikecurves"thatarecodefortimetravel.Nevertheless,today'ssciencefictionisoftentomorrow'ssciencefact.ThephysicsthatunderliesStarTrekissurelyworthinvestigating.Toconfineourattentiontoterrestrialmatterswouldbetolimitthehumanspirit.PREFACEWhythephysicsofStarTrek?GeneRoddenberry'screationis,afterall,sciencefiction,notsciencefact.Manyofthetechnicalwondersintheseriesthereforeinevitablyrestonnotionsthatmaybeilldefinedor otherwiseatoddswithourcurrentunderstandingoftheuniverse.IdidnotwanttowriteabookthatendedupmerelyoutliningwheretheStarTrekwriterswentwrong.YetIfoundthatIcouldnotgettheideaofthisbookoutofmyhead.Iconfessthatitwasreallythetransporterthatseducedme.Thinkingaboutthechallengesthatwouldhavetobefacedindevisingsuchafictionaltechnologyforcesonetopondertopicsrangingfromcomputersandtheinformationsuperhighwaytoparticlephysics,quantummechanics,nuclearenergy,telescopebuilding,biologicalcomplexity,andeventhepossibleexistenceofthehumansoul!Compoundthiswithideassuchaswarpedspaceandtimetravelandthewholesubjectbecameirresistible.IsoonrealizedthatwhatmadethissofascinatingtomewasakintowhatkeepsdrawingfanstoStar Trektoday,almostthirtyyearsaftertheseriesfirstaired.Thisis,astheomnipotentStarTrekprankster