[ti:Research Group Proposes Way to Travel Faster than Speed of Light]
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[00:00.04]In science fiction movies, there are many examples of spaceships
[00:06.28]racing through space at the speed of light or faster.
[00:12.60]But is faster-than-light travel possible?
[00:16.56]A new research paper written by an American physicist
[00:21.68]has proposed a theory for how faster-than-light travel could be possible.
[00:30.32]The research was carried out by Erik Lentz,
[00:34.88]who did the work at Germany's University of Goettingen.
[00:40.96]Lentz and his team believe that travel to distant stars
[00:46.56]and planets could be possible in the future.
[00:51.60]But this can happen only if space vehicles
[00:56.24]travel faster than the speed of light.
[00:59.72]Light can travel at about 300,000 kilometers in one second.
[01:08.24]Physicist Albert Einstein's famous theory of relativity
[01:13.48]suggests that it is not possible to travel faster than light.
[01:19.96]As a result, the latest research on the subject
[01:24.32]has centered on theories beyond normal explanations of matter.
[01:30.84]They call for "hypothetical particles" and states of matter
[01:36.16]with unusual physical properties to permit faster-than-light travel.
[01:43.16]This kind of matter either cannot be found
[01:47.00]or cannot be manufactured in necessary amounts, the paper states.
[01:54.04]The new paper places more importance not on theoretical research,
[01:59.88]but on a possible engineering solution.
[02:03.56]The research describes a plan to permit superfast travel
[02:09.80]by creating a series of, what the researchers call,
[02:14.40]solitons to provide the basis for a powerful propulsion system.
[02:21.64]A soliton is a compact wave that keeps its speed and shape
[02:27.72]while moving with little loss of energy.
[02:31.28]The research suggests that such a method
[02:35.40]could permit travel at any speed.
[02:39.40]The results recently appeared in the publication
[02:43.16]Classical and Quantum Gravity.
[02:46.92]The method "uses the very structure of space and time
[02:52.04]arranged in a soliton to provide a solution
[02:56.20]to faster-than-light travel," said a press release explaining the process.
[03:02.60]Lentz told Reuters news agency that such a "warp drive" technology
[03:09.28]could be used to sharply reduce travel times.
[03:14.44]That could make future travel to distant space objects possible.
[03:20.08]The nearest star beyond our solar system is Proxima Centauri.
[03:27.04]It is about 4.25 light years away.
[03:32.04]A light year is the distance it takes light to travel in one year.
[03:38.72]Lentz said that using traditional rocket fuel,
[03:42.64]it would take about 50,000 to 70,000 years to reach Proxima Centauri.
[03:51.24]A trip using nuclear propulsion technology
[03:55.00]would take about 100 years, he said.
[03:58.44]But a light speed trip would take only four years
[04:02.88]and three months, Lentz added.
[04:06.12]The researchers' plan promises the hope of faster-than-light-speed travel,
[04:12.84]which could lead to "distant interstellar travel within a human lifetime."
[04:19.84]Lentz said a lot of work will be needed to make the method become a reality.
[04:27.24]To be useful, it would require lowering the energy needed
[04:31.88]down to the level of modern nuclear power reactors.
[04:37.24]A way to develop and speed up the solitons must also be created, he added.
[04:44.88]Lentz sees the research and development process as difficult, but not impossible.
[04:53.44]He said additional steps could happen over the next several years,
[04:58.48]with a fully operational version possible within the next 10 years.
[05:05.00]He added that the first truly light speed trips could be tested in the years afterward.
[05:13.00]"I would like to see this technology in use in my lifetime," Lentz said.
[05:20.80]I'm Bryan Lynn. 更多听力请访问21VOA.COM