Astronomer says aliens might zap black holes with lasers to travel the galaxy

In a paper published in the preprint journal arXiv on March 11, David Kipping, the Columbia astronomer, proposed that an interstellar spacecraft could fire a laser at the gravity mirror of a fast-moving black hole in a binary black hole system. When the newly energized photons from the laser whipped back around, it could re-absorb them, and convert all that extra energy into momentum — before firing the photons back at the mirror again.

Astronomer says aliens might zap black holes with lasers to travel the galaxy

This system of travel was given the name Halo Drive. The advantage of the "halo drive" over other systems like a solar sail is that you don't need to have a huge amount of fuel. You just tap the vast energy of the black hole.

NASA is already using a system similar to this when it has a spacecraft do a slingshot around a planet tapping the energy from the planets movement through space. The energy a slingshot manuver taps is small compared to the energy that can be tapped from a black hole.

Well now we know how they could be getting here and this system of travel would be hard to detect.

a reply to: LookingAtMars

Astronomer says aliens might zap black holes with lasers to travel the galaxy

Bwahaha!

They have mighty power to zap black holes , but can't come down to earth to have a beer or 2.

Maybe they also put spaceships in comets and fly them around.
Sure it was an astronomer not an astrologer because that’s just simply to stupid to even consider

a reply to: mekhanics

lol, they zap a laser at the black hole and it circles around it picking up speed and energy. When it comes back around and hits the spacecraft it pushes it forward. It doesn't take mighty power to do it

originally posted by: Raggedyman
Maybe they also put spaceships in comets and fly them around.
Sure it was an astronomer not an astrologer because that’s just simply to stupid to even consider

If you say so

originally posted by: LookingAtMars

originally posted by: Raggedyman
Maybe they also put spaceships in comets and fly them around.
Sure it was an astronomer not an astrologer because that’s just simply to stupid to even consider

If you say so

Actually yes, I have an opinion, as valid as the people who made the original theory that aliens use blackholes
I did say so, does my accent confuse you👍😁

a reply to: Raggedyman

The original theory explained it's opinion, it didn't just say this is too smart of an idea so it must be true.

All I know is that the possibilities are endless.

We are children painting with feces when it comes to understanding the universe and the myriad of possibilities that exist within it.

Our understanding is so elementary and basic that we can not even conceive of what is truly possible much less make it possible.

Is FTL possible? Absolutely. Just because we can't do it or even figure it out means nothing. We went the entirety of human history except for the last 100 years thinking that flight was impossible.

Is this guys theory possible? Sure is.

a reply to: mekhanics

Would you want the creatures you're observing knowing how you got there in the first place? I wouldn't. I don't want them zapping their way back to my home land.

The only problem I see with this, is only being able to travel to places with black holes or else it's a one way trip.

a reply to: Kurokage

You would have to be careful, too far from the black hole and it wouldn't work, too close and you would be gone

a reply to: Kurokage

You don't need to be near the black hole. You just need a consistent 'stream' of light from the solar sail and it's original source. But then it brings up the question, well to me at least, why do you need black holes to do this? Why not just stream the laser from a planet to the sail, the laser is already going at light speed.

originally posted by: Kurokage
The only problem I see with this, is only being able to travel to places with black holes or else it's a one way trip.

That, and the fact that you would have to be reasonably close to the black hoke to begin with, or the time it would take for the beam to travel there, and back would make a long wait for the boost. At least in any time frame humans are accustomed to.

originally posted by: strongfp
a reply to: Kurokage

You don't need to be near the black hole. You just need a consistent 'stream' of light from the solar sail and it's original source. But then it brings up the question, well to me at least, why do you need black holes to do this? Why not just stream the laser from a planet to the sail, the laser is already going at light speed.

You extract energy/momentum from the black hole.

a reply to: strongfp

I was thinking of the return trip, getting back without a black hole assist.

a reply to: Kurokage

Your destination would need to be near a black hole I guess. Plenty of them out there

a reply to: strongfp

What do you consider "near"?

You have to be close enough so that the travel time of the beam isn't longer than your life.

20 light years is dangerously close to a blak hole for example.

a reply to: moebius

But you can't go faster than the speed of light. Unless the energy is losing significant 'speed' as it travels, I'm guessing the black holes might just be 'repeaters' like you would have for wifi signals.

I love this theoretical stuff. I know I'm probably wrong but it might be on the right track!

a reply to: Raggedyman

Sure it was an astronomer not an astrologer

An astrologer pseudo scientist? lol

a reply to: mekhanics

Probably a bit off the public bus route, Earth isn't across the street from a black hole.