February 2, 1998: "Spooky action at a
distance," antimatter, and the dividing line between physics and fantasy
are on the syllabus for a series of lectures about Physics for the Third
Millennium at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Feb. 9-12.
Those topics often raise the hackles of serious physicists, and with good reason. As one lecturer notes in his syllabus, "the Internet is now full of ... fiction masquerading as fact." The Physics for the Third Millennium lectures are rooted in established physics and explore areas that we don't understand. And that is where the lecturers will discuss possibilities that might be leveraged in the future to make space exploration easier.
Marshall is NASA's lead center for developing new space transportation technologies, noted lecture coordinator John M. Horack of Marshall's Space Sciences Laboratory.
"Most of that work is rooted in rockets that have known capabilities and limitations," Koczor said. "The purpose of these lectures is to look at cutting edge physics that might revolutionize space transportation - perhaps not in our children's or grandchildren's lifetimes, but eventually. We're bringing in some of the best scientists in these fields and letting them explain their work to our people in hopes of maybe lighting a fire and getting some experiments started."
Attendance is open to pre-registered Marshall scientists and engineers. Topics scheduled for the lecture series include:
Monday, Feb. 9, 9-12
Quantum Nonlocality - Nature's Faster-Than-Light
Linkages. Dr.
John Cramer, University of Washington, Seattle.
Physicists in Switzerland recently demonstrated what Einstein called "spooky
action at a distance" wherein two photons are separated and a change
in one is reflected by a change in the other several miles away. These linkages
between quantum subsystems can operate faster than light and even backwards
in time. Examples of nonlocal effects will be discussed, and a hypothetical
mechanism of nonlocality will be presented in terms of the transactional
interpretation of quantum mechanics.
Tuesday, Feb. 10, 9-12
Physics of Antimatter. Dr. Gerald A. Smith, Pennsylvania State University. Antimatter
is like the universal solvent: it eats through everything. Yet recent developments
in electromagnetic devices called Penning traps allow the storage of small
quantities of antiprotons. This opens the possibility that antimatter could
be manufactured and stored for use as
fuel by deep-space rockets. (At right, the
tracks left by an electron and positron [anti-electron] created from a photon.)
Tuesday, Feb. 10, 1-4
Warp Drives and Wormholes: What's Physics,
What's Fantasy? Dr.
Matt Visser, Physics Department, Washington University
in Saint Louis. Wormholes and warp drives are two of the stranger theoretical
concepts being discussed by the general relativity community. Visser will
try to separate fact from fantasy and give a clear description of the engineering
difficulties involved in building these.
Wednesday, Feb. 11, 9-12
Visualizing Relativistic Space-Time
Dynamics and Kinematics. Dr. William G. Harter, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Ark. Harter will
show several methods to visualize space-time mechanics of particles and
waves. Two computer animation programs: RelativIt
and WaveIt will help clarify key concepts.
Wednesday, Feb. 11, 1-4
Experimental Tests of General Relativity. G. M. Keiser, Stanford University
Stanford Calif. Keiser, Stanford's chief scientist on Gravity Probe B, will review
the experimental tests of General Relativity with particular emphasis on
experiments which have been or can be performed in space, such as measurement
of the gravitational deflection of light, the Shapiro time delay, and advance
of the perihelion of Mercury. Proposed gravitational wave observatories
in space will not only open a gravitational window to the universe but will
also give insights into the nature of gravitation.
Thursday, Feb. 12, 9-12
Possible Revolutionary Technologies
Based on the Zero-Point
Field of the Quantum Vacuum. Dr. Bernhard
Haisch, Solar and Astrophysics Laboratory, Lockheed Martin, Palo Alto, CA.
According to a 1994 theory, inertia - the property that keeps matter at
rest or in motion until acted upon by an outside force - may be an electromagnetic
phenomenon implying that it may be susceptible to manipulation and modification.
"Revolutionary technological possibilities" may follow if this
effect can be proven and exploited on a larger scale.
Thursday, Feb. 12, 1-4
Breakthrough Propulsion Physics and
the Horizon Mission Methodology. Dr. Marc G. Millis, NASA Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio. Millis will
cover the NASA Breakthrough Propulsion Physics program designed to make
measurable and credible advances in physics for breakthroughs in space propulsion.
Topics covered by the program include experiments and theories regarding
the coupling of gravity and electromagnetism, vacuum fluctuation energy,
warp drives and wormholes, and superluminal quantum tunneling.
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Headlinesreturn to Space Sciences Laboratory Home
Author: Dave
Dooling
Curator: Bryan Walls
NASA Official: John M. Horack