From: hinson@bohr.physics.purdue.edu (Jason W. Hinson)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.tech
Subject: Re: WARP SPEED STUFF
Date: 10 Jan 93 17:12:14 GMT
Organization: Purdue University Physics Department

jsbell@acs.ucalgary.ca (Joshua Bell) writes:
> hinson@bohr.physics.purdue.edu (Jason W. Hinson) writes:
>>So the warp engines of "today's" Trek no longer alternate between two states
>>while remaining at neither for no longer than Plank time.  Instead, they cause
>>the ship to enter subspace, where physics doesn't work the same way it does
>>here.  I believe that subspace has a particular frame of reference, and that 
>>all ships traveling in subspace keep that frame of reference.  This is the
>>only way it would allow faster than light travel without violating causality.
>
>>Does anyone disagree with what I think the tech manual is saying (i.e. that
>>the stuff about using Plank time is no longer in effect in the ships we see 
>>on screen)?
>
>I agree with you completely about the differences in Warp
>technologies. The only thing I'll quibble about is the phrase
>"enter subspace, where physics doesn't work the same way as it
>does here". Every indication is that physics _in_ the ships stays
>exactly the same. If things changed by any measurable amount,
>most of our life processes would come to a crashing halt.
>
>Either the ship doesn't enter subspace, but simply interacts with
>it, or subspace and our space are identical, and subspace
>phenomena are merely the interaction of our space and subspace.
>These are basically identical anyway.
>
>Joshua


Good observation.  Well, I have two ways to explain it apart from saying 
that the ship only interacts with subspace (which in itself may be a 
good enough explaination).  

First, the warp field could in effect submerge the ship in subspace while
keeping a normal space "bubble" around the ship.  In effect, you would
have inside subspace a small pocket of normal space that the ship is in.
The reason I don't particularly care for this explaination (or the "it
only interacts" one) is just part of my personal preference.  You see, I
like to think of everything inside the warp field being effected in the 
same way; so that the field accelerates every object, every person, and
every particle of everything in the field at the same rate.  That way, 
there is no need for any type of inertial damping for traveling while 
using warp.  However, if the warp field effects everything in it in the
same way, and it changes the way physics works for everything inside of
it, then the physics in the ship would be different than normal physics.

Now that I think about it, the idea I gave about the field submerging
the ship and a surrounding normal space bubble within subspace may still
be OK.  If the field (1) submerges the bubble within subspace to allow 
the bubble (and subsequently everything inside the bubble) to go faster
than light and (2) accelerates the bubble and everything within it at 
the same rate through subspace, it would work like I want it to.  Hmm...
I really like that idea.

ANYway...

Second,  as I explained in my "FTL and Relativity" article, the only 
required change in physics that subspace must have is that anyone
traveling in subspace always has the same frame of reference.  This 
would mean that the speed of light would be different for different
travelers within subspace.  But, if this is the only way subspace 
changes physics, then its effects would not be very noticable without
conducting specific experiments.  So the warp field could submerge the
entire ship within subspace without making an extremely noticable 
change.  

      However, from what I have seen on the show, I have a feeling
that within subspace physics is changed a little more than the minimum 
required amount.  For this reason, I like the first idea I gave.

So, what do ya think?


-Jay