Uploaded April 2019 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Dr. Kevin Knuth, Department of Physics, University at Albany, Albany NY, USA -
Presentation Title:
Constraints on Societies Engaged in Relativistic Interstellar Travel
Presentation Abstract:
A sufficiently technologically advanced society capable of arbitrarily fast sub-light travel could take advantage of relativistic effects to traverse the galaxy in a matter of weeks to days proper time (ship time). However, for those that stay at home tens of thousands of years will have transpired during the journey as the effects of the twin `paradox' apply. For this reason, interstellar travelers would necessarily form a breakaway society in which all members travel regularly at relativistic speeds moving into the future at commensurate rates. Such a society would be nomadic in spacetime forgoing a permanent home world, which would require them to set up supply routes to obtain resources and to coordinate meet-up points and times to interact and exchange goods and information with fellow travelers. I will discuss some of the basic constraints that interstellar travel would place on such a society. I will also consider how the arrangement of travel routes would affect the flow of supplies and information, across the societal network. A range of accelerations of spacecraft will be considered, informed, in part, by inferred accelerations of unidentified structured craft (USC) observed on Earth. Ships traveling at accelerations of a comfortable 1g would be able to traverse the galaxy in about 20 years. Ships traveling at higher accelerations of 100g (still less than what is inferred from eyewitness reports) would traverse the galaxy in about 120 days, less time than it currently takes us to get to Mars. There are serious implications for the Fermi Paradox since at any point in time, it is far more likely that any given ship will be traveling to its next destination. The many serious engineering challenges will not be addressed in this presentation.
Bio:
Prof. Knuth is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics at the University at Albany (SUNY), and is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Entropy (MDPI). He is a former NASA research scientist having worked for four years at NASA Ames Research Center in the Intelligent Systems Division designing artificial intelligence algorithms for astrophysical data analysis. He has over 20 years of experience in applying Bayesian and maximum entropy methods to the design of machine learning algorithms for data analysis applied to the physical sciences. His current research interests include the foundations of physics, quantum information, inference and inquiry, autonomous robotics, and the search for and characterization of extrasolar planets. He has published over 90 peer-reviewed publications and has been invited to give over 80 presentations in 14 countries.
http://knuthlab.rit.albany.edu/
Dr. Kevin Knuth, Department of Physics, University at Albany, Albany NY, USA -
Presentation Title:
Constraints on Societies Engaged in Relativistic Interstellar Travel
Presentation Abstract:
A sufficiently technologically advanced society capable of arbitrarily fast sub-light travel could take advantage of relativistic effects to traverse the galaxy in a matter of weeks to days proper time (ship time). However, for those that stay at home tens of thousands of years will have transpired during the journey as the effects of the twin `paradox' apply. For this reason, interstellar travelers would necessarily form a breakaway society in which all members travel regularly at relativistic speeds moving into the future at commensurate rates. Such a society would be nomadic in spacetime forgoing a permanent home world, which would require them to set up supply routes to obtain resources and to coordinate meet-up points and times to interact and exchange goods and information with fellow travelers. I will discuss some of the basic constraints that interstellar travel would place on such a society. I will also consider how the arrangement of travel routes would affect the flow of supplies and information, across the societal network. A range of accelerations of spacecraft will be considered, informed, in part, by inferred accelerations of unidentified structured craft (USC) observed on Earth. Ships traveling at accelerations of a comfortable 1g would be able to traverse the galaxy in about 20 years. Ships traveling at higher accelerations of 100g (still less than what is inferred from eyewitness reports) would traverse the galaxy in about 120 days, less time than it currently takes us to get to Mars. There are serious implications for the Fermi Paradox since at any point in time, it is far more likely that any given ship will be traveling to its next destination. The many serious engineering challenges will not be addressed in this presentation.
Bio:
Prof. Knuth is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics at the University at Albany (SUNY), and is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Entropy (MDPI). He is a former NASA research scientist having worked for four years at NASA Ames Research Center in the Intelligent Systems Division designing artificial intelligence algorithms for astrophysical data analysis. He has over 20 years of experience in applying Bayesian and maximum entropy methods to the design of machine learning algorithms for data analysis applied to the physical sciences. His current research interests include the foundations of physics, quantum information, inference and inquiry, autonomous robotics, and the search for and characterization of extrasolar planets. He has published over 90 peer-reviewed publications and has been invited to give over 80 presentations in 14 countries.
http://knuthlab.rit.albany.edu/
