this post was submitted on 03 May 2025
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Let's suppose we have a wish granting genie that gives us a working Alcubierre drive. The drive is turned on and the bubble is staying stationary to our frame of reference (so, it's turned on on our imaginary helipad and it's just sitting there). What could an outside observer expect to see when they look at the bubble? I.e. would light get redshifted or distorted, since it has to pass through space that's expanding faster than the surrounding space? If I shine a laser pointer directly at the bubble, does it lens around the bubble and stroke the far wall, or will it pass through and strike what's inside? Further, could one expect any ill effects from approaching or passing through the bubble, or would that even be possible? Would an Alcubierre drive in motion create a gravitational wave or something very much like it, since it works by distorting space?

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