Can Space Warping Damage Matter?

[Arthur d. S. Jr.]

Got me thinking about an antigravitational floater system based on alcubierre warp drive (or Warp Bubble if you prefer). But then I asked myself, since space warping is messing with

dilation/compression it could shred or crush anything on the distortion's area, air molecules included. Although, these warpings deal with the very basis/ground of reality, the spacetime, wouldn't these distortions also change the way things are? the distance atoms need to be to keep relation, how far two particles have to be to form bonds , how far energy can travel or transit... In other words... Wouldn't that be okay and not harmful at all?... Or would it hurt, tear, press and possibly kill anyone and anything in area?

 

Thanks;

Arthur  

[J.C.MacSwell]

Unfortunately I am not familiar with the warp drive, but spaghettification should happen where there is enough gravity gradient, and (presumably?) crushing perpendicular to it when approaching or inside a blackhole.

Edited August 7, 2017 by J.C.MacSwell

[studiot]

Quote

 wouldn't these distortions also change the way things are?

Of course not.

Either

1. There is sufficient (local) warping for things to be different, then they are different, by definition.
   or
2. There is insufficient (local) warping for things to be different in which case they are not.

Either way nothing is changed, everything is the way it is.

[swansont]

In the object's own frame, nothing is different. If the object won't fall apart when viewed in its own frame, it can't fall apart in any other. 

[MigL]

The 'spaghettification' occurs near a Black Hole because of tidal effects.
And these effects arise because of the radial geometry of the gravitational well.
Not the 'steepness' of the curvature.

I guess it all depends on the geometry of the drive, and whether tidal effects can be engineered away.
( but that is the least of the engineering problems )

[Country Boy]

 We've even seen it happen!  In July, 1992, comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 came sufficiently close to the sun that "tidal forces" (essentially what you call "warping space") broke it apart.

[swansont]

1 hour ago, HallsofIvy said:

 We've even seen it happen!  In July, 1992, comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 came sufficiently close to the sun that "tidal forces" (essentially what you call "warping space") broke it apart.

GR and warping is not required to explain that, though. It's a trivial example, and strictly speaking (as MigL has pointed out), warping is gravity, not tidal forces; that's a differential of the gravity.

[jajrussel]

When Jupiter's gravity pulls an asteroid apart? Is this the type of warping, and damage you are talking about?

If a warp drive worked the way one might imagine, would anything in the initial frame have time to be effected by the drive other than what the drive was intended to drive? If the theory of the warp drive works the thing driven would move faster than the speed of light. I would think that even in theory the whole universe would eventually notice that is coming apart, but the universe can only react so fast. Otherwise we wouldn't need to dream of a warp drive?

Edited September 12, 2017 by jajrussel

[Dubbelosix]

Oh yes, it is possible, for at least gravitational waves (as a warping of spacetime) could be permanentl

 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/next/physics/gravitational-wave-memory/

Though this is about damaging spacetime, but in some treatments it is hard to separate a notion of matter from spacetime. So unclear. 

Edited October 1, 2017 by Dubbelosix

[Vmedvil]

Well, I just did a piece on the bell spaceship paradox which applies to this and yes if gravitational forces break the electromagnetic bonds like relativistic mass then just the length contraction effect would cause to break and fracture in high gravity the matter once the stress overcame the Strong Force literally tearing atoms apart like fission. You definitely don't want to hit matter if your warp field strength is greater than the SNF.

Edited November 5, 2017 by Vmedvil