Electromagnetic-Alcubierre thruster

Abstract

In this manuscript we propose an electromagnetic thruster based on an analogue of the Alcubierre warp solution. The construction of such a solution can be accomplished by including a parallel plate capacitor in an electromagnetic resonating chamber. By tuning an AC voltage across the capacitor at resonance with the oscillation frequency of the electromagnetic field in the cavity one can produce a net force on the charges in the capacitor and thus on the device as a whole. The net thrust will be provided by the scattered electromagnetic waves which exit the chamber as exhaust and will depend on the resonator geometry, capacitor voltage, and power input from the electromagnetic field generator. For high energy electromagnetic field generators, 1-g of thrust can be sustained for extended periods of time on large space craft and thereby enables the possibility of robust travel within the solar system.