I’ll start a little from afar so as not to provide links to previous articles - it will be even more interesting. It appears that the Alpha Centauri system is located somewhere far from us - approximately 4.3 light years away. In other words, light flies from Alpha Centauri to us, earthlings, for as long as 4.3 Earth years, and this “flight” occurs at a tremendous speed - 300,000 km/s. A huge space separating us from Alpha Centauri, according to our standards. An inquisitive mind can even convert all this into earthly kilometers: multiply 4.3 years * 365 days * 24 hours * 60 minutes * 60 seconds and multiply the resulting figure by another 300,000 km. Anyone interested can do the calculations themselves. The main thing for us is to understand the scale of this huge space and what is in it. Modern science tells us that there is a vacuum there, that is, nothing - there are no molecules, no atoms, absolutely nothing.
Now let's figure out what light is? Most will say - a stream of photons, that is, particles of light flying at a huge speed of 300,000 km/s. It seems that everything is clear - the particles are flying in a vacuum - who is stopping them? But not everything is as simple as it seems at first glance. After all, visible light has the nature of electromagnetic waves, that is, a medium oscillating at a certain frequency:
But we just forgot about the medium of propagation of electromagnetic waves. There are waves/oscillations, but the medium has disappeared somewhere. Although it didn’t completely disappear - it was precisely replaced by the concepts of vacuum or space-time. And before it was simply called ether. Still, I have to quote an excerpt from the previous post:
A wave has its own speed of propagation in different media, for example, sound in air travels at a speed of 340 m/s, and in water at a speed of 1500 m/s. When they talk about the speed of light 300 million m/s, they mean its reference speed in the so-called vacuum - in the airless space between the Sun and Earth, the Sun and Alpha Centauri, etc. So what happens to light as it “flies” towards us from the Sun in the so-called vacuum? Being an electromagnetic wave, light suddenly “becomes” a particle flying in the void of vacuum, and when approaching the Earth it turns into a wave again? By this analogy, we can say that while the water wave is moving from one shore to the other, there is no water itself. And for example: while the sound wave goes from my mouth to your ear, there is also no air, the vibrations of which is the sound. Does it sound crazy? I completely agree with you! It’s just as crazy as the fact that electromagnetic waves can exist without a transmission medium, which is the ether.
So, we can conclude that what physicists from NASA decided to deform, calling it space-time (or vacuum) - the all-pervasive medium of ether, through which electromagnetic waves - including the visible range - light propagate. And in the passage below, which describes the principle of operation of the WARP engine, it is well shown that what is called space has the properties of the environment. After all, deformation, be it expansion and compression (low and high pressure) is a property and characteristic of the medium - be it air or water, and in our case, ethereal.
A few months ago, physicist Harold White stunned the space world by announcing that he and his team at NASA had begun work on developing a space warp engine capable of moving objects faster than the speed of light. His proposed concept was an ingenious reimagining of the Alcubierre drive, and could ultimately lead to a drive that could propel a spacecraft to the nearest star within weeks - without breaking the laws of physics. The idea for the engine came to White while he was analyzing a remarkable equation formulated by physicist Miguel Alcubierre. In his 1994 paper entitled "The Drive Foundation: High-Speed Travel in General Relativity," Alcubierre proposed a mechanism by which spacetime could be "warped" both in front and behind the spacecraft. Essentially, if the empty space behind the starship expands rapidly and the space in front contracts, it will push the ship in a forward direction. Passengers will perceive this as movement, despite the complete lack of acceleration.
Not long ago, rumors appeared in the media that NASA had finally created a warp drive. Official representatives of the organization had to deny the stuffing, explaining that in fact tests were carried out on a completely different device, EmDrive. But interest in the fantastic device that bends space does not subside. Futurists believe that somewhere in secret laboratories a warp drive is being developed. NASA, however, did not conduct tests, since nothing similar has been created in practice. At least, official sources do not provide any information about this. It remains to be content with theoretical information.
American studies
Some scientists believe that spaceships can fly at speeds many times greater than the speed of light. In practice, research has not brought the engine any closer to its actual implementation. But, one way or another, such statements are pleasing to the ears of science fiction writers and young romantics who dream of exploring outer space.
Texas scientists Gerald Cleaver and Richard Obousy, who published their work on the Internet, consider the creation of a hyper-speed ship possible, since it does not contradict the theories of relativity of Einstein and strings.
The latter is confirmed by some recent discoveries (for example, the discovery of the variability of world constants or the presence of additional spatial dimensions).
In their research, the Americans relied on the work of the Mexican physicist Miguel Alcubierre, who wrote it back in 1994 and called it “Space Warp Engine.”
How it works
The principle of its operation is as follows. Warp drive forms a closed bubble around the spacecraft, separating part of space-time. The drive causes it to expand at the rear and contract at the front. Thanks to this, the bubble acquires the ability to move forward at speeds exceeding the speed of light.
At the same time, it is stated that the condition under which the speed of light cannot be exceeded is fulfilled. After all, the beam next to the ship will fly forward along with it.
But the bubble with part of the space-time will arrive at any star much faster than another ship, as if it had launched at the same time as the one on which the warp drive is installed.
According to natural laws, it turns out that he will generally remain motionless throughout the entire journey, and his kinetic energy will remain the same as before the start.
Along with the development of the Universe
Is it possible in reality to allow the expansion of space-time? Physicists refer to the beginning of the development of the Universe, when not only matter, but also the spatial fabric expanded.
Cleaver claims that behind the ship they seem to be recreating the processes of the young Universe. For a spaceship to end up in such a bubble, the action of exotic negative energy (the same as that needed for a time machine) is necessary. And researchers even know how to get it.
"The Casimir Effect"
They believe that we must rely on the “Casimir effect”. It is argued that attraction arises between two bodies that are located close to each other in a vacuum. It is formed as a result of the difference between virtual photons created in a vacuum. There will be significantly fewer of them between the bodies than in the rest of the vacuum. Scientists believe that this effect can help travelers in space. After all, translating into physical concepts, the very negative energy that is required arises between bodies.
The source is in "dark" energy
In addition, it is believed that negative energy is also found in the so-called “dark” energy, which today determines the expansion of the Universe. Scientists are confident that warp drive will become a reality just when they understand this energy.
But how to make the space expand behind the formed bubble? It is proposed to use additional dimensions of space, the existence of which follows from string theory.
String theory
To make them easier to understand, you can mentally draw a line through space. We imagine that it consists of dots. But if each of them is greatly enlarged, they will turn into rings, which are the manifestation of these dimensions.
Scientists believe that virtual photons are also born there, having a wavelength capable of resonating with the circumference. The rings here play the same role as plate bodies, the concept of which is present in the theory of the “Casimir effect”.
How will everything be implemented in practice?
It is assumed that by changing the size of the extra dimensions, it is possible to calculate the part of space-time in the bubble. The logic here is simple: when additional dimensions expand, our space-time contracts and vice versa.
For the creation of a warp drive to be successful, an energy of about 10 45 joules is required. For comparison: this is how much of it is contained in the entire mass of Jupiter, if calculated using the well-known Einstein formula. Previously, it was believed that an even more colossal amount of energy was needed, comparable to the mass of the entire Universe.
Cleaver also theoretically calculated what warp drive speed should be. It exceeds the speed of light 10 32 times. The scientist immediately adds that the value is unattainable either with existing technologies or with all imaginable technologies.
In general, one should not expect practical implementation from here. After all, everyone knows that Americans fly into space using Russian engines. By the way, does it follow from this that they also flew to the Moon using a Soviet engine? Well, based on such data, it seems that if a warp drive is ever created, Russia will at least take an active part in its development.
“Mr. Sulu, set course, speed warp two” - these words are probably known to every science fiction fan. They belong to James Kirk, captain of the starship Enterprise from the legendary TV series "Star Trek". According to the plot, the heroes move around the Galaxy hundreds of times faster than light thanks to warp drive, which bends the surrounding space.
Back in the 1960s, when the series was released, it was perceived as an impossible fantasy. But today many scientists and engineers are seriously talking about the possibility of creating such an engine, and moreover, there are already specific proposals.
Speed limit of the Universe
Our Solar System is located in a rather rarefied area of the Milky Way, with a low density of star clusters. The closest star system to us, Alpha Centauri, is 4.36 light years from the Sun. On modern rockets, developing a speed of 10-15 kilometers per second, astronauts would have to fly to it for more than 70,000 years!
And this despite the fact that the total diameter of our Galaxy is 100,000 light years. If we cannot overcome even such an insignificant distance by the standards of the Universe, then there is no point in even talking about colonization and exploration of deep space.
There is another, more serious obstacle on the way to the stars. It is reflected in Einstein's theory of relativity. Before the appearance of the theory in 1905, Newton's celestial mechanics reigned supreme in physics. According to it, the speed of light depended on the speed of movement of the observer. That is, if you managed to catch up with the light and move with it, then it would simply stop for you. Maxwell later gave this theory a mathematical basis.
While still a student, Albert Einstein could not accept this postulate - he felt that there was an error somewhere here. In the end, he found the answer to the question that tormented him. He proved that the speed of light is constant and in no way depends on an outside observer.
It turned out that it was impossible to catch up with the light. No matter how fast you move, the light will still be ahead. The famous Einstein formula E = ms², where the energy of a body is equal to its mass multiplied by the speed of light squared, literally states the following: in order to accelerate an object to the speed of light, an infinite amount of energy will be required, which means that the object must have an infinite mass. Essentially, a rocket that wants to accelerate to the speed of light will weigh as much as the entire Universe!
Of course, this is absolutely impossible to do in real life; the speed of light is a kind of universal traffic police inspector who sets the speed limit once and for all.
It would seem that this puts an end to humanity’s dream of flying to distant stars. However, ten years after the publication of the special theory of relativity, the general theory of relativity appeared, where more extensive comments and additions were given.
In his general theory of relativity, Einstein unified space and time. Before this, they were considered different physical concepts. To better illustrate this, he compared space-time to a canvas. Under certain conditions, this canvas can move much faster than light. However, this did not answer the main question: how can one still overtake the light?
For almost 70 years, many researchers have puzzled over this mystery. And one fine day, one young scientist turned on the TV and, while switching channels, came across a science fiction series. While watching it, it suddenly dawned on him, and he realized how it was possible to develop superluminal speed without violating the laws of physics. This scientist's name is Miguel Alcubierre.
Warp Drive
Then, in 1994, Alcubierre studied the theory of relativity at the University of Cardiff (Wales, UK). He saw the series “Star Trek” on TV. The scientist drew attention to the fact that to move in space, heroes use a space deformation engine, or warp drive.
Just as an apple that fell on Newton’s head once inspired him to create celestial mechanics, so the TV show inspired Miguel to come up with a theory that might once and for all put an end to the speed “discrimination” of the Universe.
Alcubierre began his calculations and soon published the results. He took as a basis the general theory of relativity, which states that if you apply a certain amount of energy or mass, you can make space move faster than light.
To do this, you need to create a special bubble, or deformation field, around the ship. This warp field will compress the space in front of the ship and expand behind it. It turns out that the ship is actually not moving anywhere, space itself is curved and pushes the ship in a given direction.
Inside the bubble, time and space are not subject to deformation and curvature. Therefore, the ship’s crew does not experience any additional overload, and it may seem as if nothing has changed. In this case, not only astronauts who have undergone special medical selection and training, but also ordinary people will be able to fly into space.
If you were on the bridge of a ship while it was traveling at superluminal speeds and looked at the space around you, the stars would turn into long strokes. But if you look behind you, you will see nothing but pitch darkness, since the light cannot catch up with you.
Alcubierre calculated that the warp engine will allow one to reach speeds 10 times faster than light, however, in his opinion, nothing prevents increasing the engine power and accelerating to higher levels.
However, when familiarizing himself with the Alcubierre theory, Sergei Krasnikov from the Main Astronomical Observatory in Pulkovo identified one feature. The fact is that the pilot will not be able to arbitrarily change the trajectory of the ship. That is, if you, for example, are flying from Earth to Sirius and suddenly remember that you didn’t turn off the iron at home, then you won’t be able to go back. You will have to first fly to your destination and then return back.
Moreover, you will also not be able to contact anyone, since the warp field completely isolates the ship from the outside world and blocks any signals. Therefore, Krasnikov compared traveling on such a ship to traveling in the subway. He called it the “faster-than-light subway.”
But this is not the main problem. The deformation field itself must have a negative charge. To create it, you need negative energy, the existence of which has been debated for many years.
What can't be
If gravity is the energy of attraction, then negative energy should have the opposite properties and repel foreign objects from itself. But how to get such energy?
In 1933, Dutch physicist Hendrik Casimir proposed that if you take two identical metal plates and place them perfectly parallel to each other at the minimum possible distance, they will begin to attract each other. It’s as if an invisible force is pushing them towards each other.
According to quantum mechanics, the vacuum is not a completely empty place; pairs of matter and antimatter particles constantly appear in it, which instantly collide and annihilate. This process takes literally billionths of a second. When they collide, a microscopic amount of energy is released, which creates a non-zero total pressure in the “empty” vacuum.
It is important to bring the plates as close to each other as possible, then the volume of particles outside will greatly exceed their number in the space between the plates. As a result, the pressure from the outside will compress the plates, and their energy will, in turn, become less than zero, that is, negative. In 1948, an experiment was able to measure negative energy. This went down in history under the name “Casimir effect”.
In 1996, after 15 years of experimentation and research, Steve Lamoreaux of Los Alamos National Laboratory, together with Umar Mohideen and Anushree Roy of the University of California, Riverside, was able to accurately measure the Casimir effect. It was equal to the charge of an erythrocyte - a red blood cell.
Alas, this is simply monstrously small to create a deformation field; billions of times more are needed. Until it is possible to generate negative energy on an industrial scale, the warp drive will remain on paper.
Through thorns to the stars
Despite all the difficulties in creating, warp drive is the most likely candidate for the first interstellar flight. Alternative projects, such as a solar sail or a fusion engine, can only reach sub-light speeds, and such as wormholes or stargates are too complex, and their implementation is a matter of thousands of years.
Today, NASA is most actively developing a prototype warp engine, whose experts are confident that this is more a technical problem than a theoretical one. And a team of engineers is already doing this at the Johnson Space Center, where they once prepared the first manned flight to the Moon.
According to many experts, most likely the first examples of space deformation technology will appear no earlier than in 100 years, subject to the availability of constant funding.
Fiction, would you say? But it might be worth remembering that a few years before the Wright brothers took their plane into the air, the eminent English physicist William Thomson said that nothing heavier than air could fly. And 60 years later, the first cosmonaut of the Earth smiled and said: “Let's go!”
Adilet URAIMOV
This news has not yet appeared, but NASA scientists may have created a warp drive!
A group of scientists from NASA conducted a series of optical tests by passing laser beams through the resonator chamber of the engine, and it turned out that the speed of the passing beams is different, which should not be the case, since the speed of light is constant. The behavior of the beams is completely consistent with how they would pass through warp -field. However, there is a possibility that the data obtained is a consequence of distortions due to the earth’s atmosphere, so scientists now want to repeat the test in a vacuum, and ideally in space. 
If you don't already know what a warp drive is, here's an excerpt from Wikipedia:
Warp drive(English) Warp drive, warp drive) is a hypothetical technology that, according to the hypothesis, will allow a ship equipped with such an engine to travel interstellar distances at speeds exceeding the speed of light. This is possible, as some physicists expect, due to the generation of a special curvature field - a warp field - which, enveloping the ship, distorts the space-time continuum, moving it. The warp engine will not accelerate a physical body faster than the speed of light in ordinary space, but uses the properties of space-time to move faster than a plane electromagnetic wave (light) in a vacuum. 
In general terms, the principle of warp drives is to warp the space in front and behind the starship, allowing it to move faster than the speed of light. The space “compresses” in front of the ship and “swells” behind the ship. At the same time, the ship itself is in a kind of “bubble”, remaining protected from deformations. The ship itself, inside the distortion field, actually remains motionless: the distorted space itself in which it is located moves. For example, the fictional warp drive in Star Trek works this way. 
An artist's impression of a journey through a wormhole
Image: Wikimedia Commons
NASA officials disavowed the creation of a warp drive. Agency employees responded to the rumors that have appeared in the media in recent weeks in a letter to Space.com. You can read the opinion of engineers at the Lyndon Johnson Space Center, as well as a number of independent experts, in the publication.
As industry watchdog NASASpaceFlight.com previously reported, engineers at NASA's Eagleworks laboratory successfully tested the new EmDrive electromagnetic motor in a vacuum and were even able to measure its thrust. A feature of this device, which many news outlets have called a warp drive, is the absence of any moving parts or combustion chamber. According to the theoretical physicists who developed the concept, the operation of the engine occurs only due to the interaction of the electromagnetic waves generated by it with the end plates of the waveguide in which they propagate. It is important to note that the mechanism by which traction occurs is unknown.
EmDrive engine appearance
SPR, Ltd., of the EM Drive
CNET reports that EmDrive will enable fast travel within the solar system, in particular that a flight between Earth and the Moon could take just four hours, and a trip to our closest star, Alpha Centauri, would take less than 100 years.
But such statements are premature, say NASA representatives, responding to a request from Space.com. Despite the fact that engineers showed the possibility of creating a prototype of EmDrive, their experiment has not yet brought any significant results. “NASA is not developing a warp drive,” agency representatives add.
According to Ethan Siegel, professor of physics and astronomy at Lewis and Clark College (Portland), the thrust values observed in the experiment (on the order of 30-50 micronewtons) are only 3 times greater than the measurement error of the instrument. This does not allow us to consider these measurements as sufficiently reliable, however, the expert notes that an important point was testing the device in various directions in order to level out possible interaction with the Earth’s magnetic field. He considers no less important the fact that the device was tested in a vacuum - in atmospheric conditions, repulsion from gas molecules, known to physics, could be observed. In addition, Siegel notes that the details of the experiments and their results have not yet been peer-reviewed and have not been published in a scientific journal - this condition is necessary for the scientific community to recognize the discovery.
