From: jsbell@acs.ucalgary.ca (Joshua Bell)
Subject: Re: A theory on whizzing stars...
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 92 20:22:51 GMT
Organization: The University of Calgary, Alberta

In article <1992Aug31.135224.1@bronco.fnal.gov> colombo@bronco.fnal.gov writes:
>In article <1992Aug29.014947.17747@u.washington.edu>, mcclaine@milton.u.washington.edu (Robert Casey) writes:
>>>So how come you see the same streaks of light going AWAY from the
>>>big E (on the rare occasion when they display the aft view)?
>> 
>> 	To a point, you do see the light streaking away from the
>> 	ship, this is because these streaks of light originate from
>> 	locations not parallel with the vessels length of travel.
>
>It is my (albiet poor) understanding of SR is that these photons from the
>past, which you are looking at will slowly begin to appear from the sides
>then from the front.  In other words, your field of vision starts to close
>in around you (as you approach c, my brain can't handle warp
>drive ;-)

Um... given the fact that a hypothetical Warp drive lies well
outside the bounds of SR or GR, why is is necessary to explain
the appearance of the stars in this fashion at all?

As the big-E drops out of warp, the starts slow until stationary
- they are indeed the same stars that went blurring past.

Warp travel does not incur any of the usual relativistic effects
(no time dilation, no change in apparent length or time flow),
so...

Perhaps as photons encounter the CDP field they 'cascade' across,
being brought 'up to speed' with the craft as it passes? 


     * Star
    /|\  photons
   _____  image of star
  __ ,--.
  '---'~~  1701-D

In other words, ignore relativity and pretend we're in a
Newtonian universe, with an infinite speed of light. 

Excuse my pictures, I'm a visual person. :)

As the outer edge of the warp field intersects with a photon:

            *  Star
             \  Path of photon
              \
               o  photon
   _-------_-------,
  /  _____   ,---.  \
 |  (_____) /  _  \  |
  \   | __/|  / \  | |
  /  _|___\|  \_/  | |
 |  (_____) \     /  |
  \_   |   _ `---'  /
    ---|--- -------'
_______|     |
1701-D       |
_____________|
Warp Lobe


         *  Star
          \  Path of photon
           \
            \
   _-------_ooo----, photon cascading across warp field
  /  _____   ,---.  \
 |  (_____) /  _  \  |
  \   | __/|  / \  | |
  /  _|___\|  \_/  | |
 |  (_____) \     /  |
  \_   |   _ `---'  /
    ---|--- -------'
_______|     |
1701-D       |
_____________|
Warp Lobe



      *  Star
       \  Path of photon
        \
         \
   _-------_-------,
  /  _____   ,o--.  \  photon intersecting ship
 |  (_____) /  _  \  |
  \   | __/|  / \  | |
  /  _|___\|  \_/  | |
 |  (_____) \     /  |
  \_   |   _ `---'  /
    ---|--- -------'
_______|     |
1701-D       |
_____________|
Warp Lobe

Note that apart from the time during the cascade, the photon
isn't behaving any differently than in 'normal' space, and that
its final interaction with the ship itself is also in 'normal'
space. Now, the great speed of the ship means that many photons
travelling in the same direction from the star will be
intersected one after the other, so you get the 'smear' effect.

How about from behind? Well, except for directly astern of the
ship, the warp field should still be intersecting paths of
photons as it slips past. Only directly behind the ship (where
the big-E has 'carved' out a path throught the photons, and the
nacelle lobes shadow the back of the overall warp lobe) would
there be no light whatsoever hitting the ship. Watch TNG closely
next time, and you'll note there isn't any light or starfield
effect directly astern (and if there is, just ignore it. :)

This also accounts for the lack of spectral shifting - the ship
is essentially at rest WRT the background of stars while in warp
travel, at least from a SR/GR standpoint. Photons cascade into
the warp field and come out of the cascade exactly the same as
they went in.

(Perhaps the shields take advantage of this, and modulate the
cascading action, so that intersecting photons/etc are cascaded
back out of the 'shield lobes' at relativistic speeds, giving the
Cherenkov (sp?) flash of blue light?)

Joshua
+      "Each woman is a promise that she can't keep that appeals to           +
|  a hope you can't control." - joe theseus, Deadface: Earth Water Air Fire   |
|                                                                             |
+ jsbell@acs.ucalgary.ca   Academic Computing Services, University of Calgary +
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