Computational Relativity and Gravitation Colloquium: The warp drive spacetime

Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation Colloquium
The warp drive spacetime: Main idea and its drawbacks

Dr. Miguel Alcubierre
Professor
Nuclear Sciences Institute, UNAM

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Abstract:
In this talk I will present and introduction to the warp drive spacetime. I will start from a historical perspective of the original idea, using the 3+1 formalism of general relativity. I will then discuss in some detail two of the most important problems with warp drive spacetimes, namely the fact that it requires negative energies, and huge quantities of it, and the so-called horizon problem.

Speaker Bio:
Miguel Alcubierre was born in Mexico City in 1964. He obtained his Physicist degree from the National University in Mexico (UNAM) in 1988, a Master in Science also at UNAM in 1990, and a PhD in Physics from the University of Wales in 1994. He later worked for several years at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics in Potsdam, Germany, doing research in numerical simulations of black holes. Since 2002 he joined the Nuclear Sciences Institute at UNAM where he is now a Full Professor. From 2012 to 2020 he was the director of the Institute. His research is in the area of numerical relativity, which is concerned with the computational simulation of astrophysical systems using Einstein’s theory of general relativity. In this area he has concentrated on the study of sources of gravitational waves, and particularly black hole collisions. He is author of more than 50 publications, as well as a textbook published by Oxford University Press. He has also a keen interest in the popularization of science. He has written several popular science articles, and more recently a book called “Surfing spacetime”, as well as given over 100 popular science talks. In 2009 he was awarded the Medal for Merit in Science by the Legislative Assembly of Mexico City. In 2014 he participated, together with a group of 9 Mexican artists, in a project called “Matters of Gravity”, which consisted of a parabolic flight out of Star City in Moscow, and a subsequent artistic exposition inspired on that experience. In 2018 he was named by the Spanish language magazine “Quién” as one of the 50 people that are transforming Mexico.

Intended Audience:
Beginners, undergraduates, graduates, experts. Those with interest in the topic.

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