A View of the Future: How We Will Travel at Light Speed
If you’ve ever read about or examined the most well-known equation in science you’ll know why, for now, there is no way we will ever travel at the speed of light. If you’re not familiar with the work of Einstein I’ll summarize.
E=mc^2 states the equivalency of mass and energy. In English, this equation says that the Energy of an object is equal to its mass time the square of the speed of light. (This equivalency is what makes nuclear bombs possible…massive explosions (energy) from a chunk of uranium the size of a bowling ball). When talking about traveling at very high speeds, this equation informs us that the more mass you have the more energy it takes to accelerate that mass. This is pretty simple to understand. You can easily move a dining-room chair across the floor, moving a fridge requires much more effort. What isn’t so easy to understand is that, because mass and energy are equivalent, the more energy you have, the more massive you become. In other words, the faster you go, the mass you gain. This then loops around again, where the more mass you gain, the more energy it takes to accelerate your mass. The end result of all this is that, according to Einstein, by the time you are nearing the speed of light your mass is so great that the energy required to accelerate you up to the actual speed of light may as well be infinite. Because there is no power source available that can provide infinite amounts of energy, it is impossible for anything with mass to travel at the speed of light.
So how do we attain light speed without violating relativity? Enter the Higgs Field. Right now researchers at the Large Hadron Collider are working to prove the existence of the Higgs Boson, a theoretical subatomic particle that does the work of the Higgs Field. You may have heard this particle referred to as the God Particle, nicknamed as such because the Higgs Field (theoretically) gives objects mass. If you’re not sure how that works you’re not alone. As of now there is some evidence and a whole lot of theory that suggests the Higgs Boson is real, but nothing concrete. For now, though, think of the Higgs Field as a sort of weird magnetic field. Chances are you, like most of us, understand the effects of a magnetic field without understand exactly how the magnetism works. The Higgs Field is kind of like a magnetic field in that it is intangible. You can’t “touch” a magnetic field but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there. However, instead of making iron filings stand on end, the Higgs Field gives objects mass. It does this by giving particles that interact with the field potential energy. As we discussed earlier, energy and mass are equivalent, so by imparting these objects with energy, it also gives them mass. In the future we’re going to find a way to shield against this field. When we learn to shield against the Higgs Field, the stars will open up to us. By blocking the field we’ll be able to turn off our mass. Once we turn off our mass we’re no longer subject to mass-energy equivalency. Once that isn’t a factor, the speed of light will be possible.
Before you go packing your bags and figuring out the best time to visit the beaches around Proxima Centauri, keep in mind that the other effects of traveling at relativistic speeds still apply, most notably time dilation. Time, like all things in the universe, is relative to the observer. When you hop on a light-speed ship for a quick jaunt to Andromeda and back the people you know and love will have been dead and gone for 4 million years. That might be great for some people, but a high price to pay for a silly extra-galactic t-shirt from one of the ironic-tee stores in M31. Maybe someday we’ll find a time-field and learn how to disable that as well. Then all we’ll need is a phone booth that is bigger inside than out…
