An international team of physicists behind several revolutionary warp drive concepts, including the first that doesn’t require exotic matter, say recent unprecedented breakthroughs in physics and propulsion have pitted world powers in a 21st-century Cold War-style space race launched to become the world’s first working warp drive.
“A space race is brewing,” says Gianni Martie, the founder of the Applied physics (AP) think tank and co-author of two future research papers on warp drive, in an email to The debriefing. ‘There still is at op to discover and invent, but we now have the next steps that we didn’t have before.”
The AP team consists of more than 30 physicists and scientists in related disciplines and has built a significant reputation in the warp theory community for their highly ranked, peer-reviewed papers on numerous warp drive concepts. One of those concepts recently reported by The debriefing has received a lot of attention, inspiring many researchers and scientists to declare the team’s “constant velocity warp drive model” as the first practical, viable warp drive concept ever proposed.
The AP team has also created the Warp Factory, a suite of development and simulation tools that allow fellow researchers in this emerging field to evaluate the physics of their own models, which can significantly improve model quality and viability.
In an effort to better understand the history of warp theory, the scientific viability of the most current warp drive concepts, what the media always gets wrong about this category of research, and what the next steps in this potential space race might look like can see, The debriefing contacted the Applied Physics team, resulting in an exchange that suggests the futuristic science viewers are familiar with StarTrek may be closer than we think.
THE DECOR: Will humans ever build a working warp drive?
APPLIED PHYSICS: The laws of physics absolutely allow functional subluminal warp drives, but not superluminal warp drives. While our constant-velocity warp solution is a promising step, many engineering and materials science challenges lie ahead, making the timeline uncertain but ultimately dependent on humanity, not physics.
TD: Warp drive research recently celebrated the 30th anniversary since Mexican theoretical physicist Miguel Alcubierre proposed the original metric. Has significant progress been made since that first draft?
AP: Yes, significant progress has been made. Models from the early 90s required non-existent exotic matter, essentially shelving science. Work in the 1990s and 2000s reduced the amount of exotic matter needed, but the models were relatively unchanged and thus always remained unphysical. It wasn’t until 2021 that new classes of warp drives came to light, resulting in the first physical warp solution, meaning no exotic matter is used.
TD: Are there any more material developments needed along the way, or do the basic materials for a working warp drive already exist?
AP: Yes, progress in materials science is needed. To build a warp drive we need more than just plastic and aluminum. We are talking about liquid-like materials with ultra-high densities. The good news is that our physical solution doesn’t require exotic matter, meaning it could be made with particles that already exist in our universe. However, achieving these extreme densities will require new developments.
TD: You’ve said before that the warp research community is currently very small. Have you seen any trends in the literature that indicate this is changing?
AP: Yes, interest has increased enormously in recent years. More researchers are devoting time to the mechanics of warp fields, indicating a positive trend in community growth. More and more articles are being written on this subject. Most importantly, warp drives are once again considered serious science.
TD: After your well-received research into a viable warp drive was published this year, have you heard from researchers showing renewed interest in this work?
AP: Yes, many researchers from around the world have reached out and expressed interest in helping develop our Warp Factory code and supporting warp drive research. We have received hundreds of Warp Grant submissions and are currently narrowing down the applicants.
TD: What is Warp Factory and how can it help researchers in this field?
AP: Warp Factory is an open-source numerical relativity tool for designing new warp drive spacetimes. Most warp drive research to date has been conducted analytically, which often limits exploration and can take months to analyze even simple solutions. Using Warp Factory, this analysis can be performed in minutes, while also providing 2D and 3D visualizations. In fact, the use of Warp Factory was essential to our discovery of the physical warp solution, as it was achieved using a primarily numerical approach. By offering this tool, we envision that creative warp research will be community-driven in the future.
TD: Warp vehicles could potentially be a powerful deterrent in global conflicts. How do you think warp technology will change defense strategies and geopolitical dynamics?
AP: Because it’s still so early, there’s still a lot we don’t understand about warp drives to fully understand their geopolitical impact. Could they have military applications? Possibly yes, but until we can build them, it’s unknown. At this stage we need to focus on further developing our understanding of what is possible in the field of warp mechanics. There’s a lot of research to be done now that the field is physical, so that’s definitely the first step. If we one day achieve ‘micro-warp’ propulsion in a laboratory, it would certainly lead to serious defense spending as no country can ignore a new means of propulsion. However, we hope that the investigation remains civil. It would be quite embarrassing to achieve such technical prowess and just throw stones at warp speed when the technology could be used to boost GDP and explore new frontiers.
TD: How will a “Warp Drive Space Race” impact education in the US?
AP: Just like the last space race, we are expected to see a huge increase in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) jobs. This is already happening today as we see countries like China and India setting space records, making it clear that the US has competition. And competition is good; we need the drive, the excuse to get up in the morning. Both the American and Russian economies benefited enormously from the first space race. Demand for skilled professionals in fields such as advanced engineering, condensed matter physics and warp field mechanics will skyrocket, creating millions of new high-quality STEM jobs. This technological renaissance is fueling innovation, fueling economic growth and positioning these countries at the forefront of the next great leap in human civilization.
TD: What is Applied Physics doing now with their warp research?
AP: Applied Physics continues to investigate new types of warp drives, which we hope to share with the community soon. We are currently investigating the unique ways in which warp drives accelerate and evolve over time compared to traditional propulsion methods.
TD: Have we entered the Warp Age? If so, has a Warp Drive Space race started yet?
AP: Humanity has made small steps into the warp era from a theoretical perspective, and recent efforts show that we can make progress in this area. In terms of a new space race, not yet, but interest is growing. China published warp papers shortly after our article came out, and they have invested heavily in space travel.
TD: In the 20th century Cold War space race, many consider the USSR’s launch of Sputnik in 1957 to be the key event that set things in motion. What might the Sputnik moment in the warp drive space race look like?
AP: The ‘Sputnik moment’ for warp drives would be the first successful demonstration of warp motion, leading to investment and interest comparable to the original space race. This will likely be a miniature “micro warp” laboratory prototype.
TD: If the US government were to approve a Manhattan Project-style budget for warp drive research, what might the first steps of that effort look like?
AP: It’s only a matter of time before warp drives become part of defense spending, as science has proven. The first steps would include establishing a state-of-the-art research facility, attracting top scientists and focusing on solving key theoretical and technical challenges. Since warp field mechanics represents a new physical science, there is a lot of low-hanging fruit and a lot to discover as the floodgates are just opening. This would be the second official government funding of warp drive technology, as Eagleworks Laboratories was founded by NASA in 2012.
TD: Finally, what final message would you like to convey to those hoping to see a working warp drive become a reality?
AP: The dawn of the Warp Age marks a pivotal moment in human history, presenting both unparalleled opportunities and significant challenges. As we navigate this new frontier, the balance between innovation and responsibility will be critical in shaping a future that leverages the benefits of warp technology while ensuring a stable and peaceful world.
Christopher Plain is a science fiction and fantasy novelist and chief science writer at The Debrief. Follow him and connect with him X, Learn more about his books at plainfiction.com, or email him directly at christopher@thedebrief.org.