Re: article: Warp Speed Ahead

morphinedream@technologist.com
Fri, 11 Jun 1999 20:05:26 -0400 (EDT)

> http://www.wired.com/news/news/technology/story/20152.html
>
> can anyone explain just what is "negative mass" >anyway?

Negative Mass eh? Well, I haven't touched the stuff in a while, so if anyone has any
corrections...feel free.

Ok, an object of ordinary matter (the matter we are most familiar with and deal with day
to day) has a positive gravitational pull in relation to other objects. Therefore we say it has
positive mass. What then has negative mass, well something called exotic matter.

What most people view as empty space, such as the vacuum of outer space, is not
actually empty at all. But instead cluttered with something entirely different. Scientists
have recently witnessed particles "popping" into space, just before annhilating each other,
out of what was once thought to be empty space. So, where does negative mass come
in? Well, Exotic matter is "found" extremely near blackholes when it is created and soon
destroyed. (Please message if anyone knows where else it is found). And when particles
"pop" into space near a blackhole, sometimes, one escapes. This one that escapes
consists of ordinary matter having a positive gravitational pull(positive mass). Well,
scientists don't like this, we just got something out of what was once nothing...this violates
the very basic laws of physics. So, to even it out the other particle that didn't escape the
blackhole we must assume has a negative gravitational pull(negative mass), or a
gravitational push if you will. This is exotic matter.

Now exotic matter has some very strange properties, and it would be greatly appreciated
if someone could inform me of some more of them. Now, theoretically(there is that word
again), exotic matter can be used to fold space, warp time, and be used to jump that
bothersome barrier of lightspeed. Also, since it has a negative mass it could be used as an
anti-gravity device. However, it is beleived that it would take an amount of exotic matter
the size of Jupiter to counter the effects of gravity for a 1000 lb. spacecraft. <--- That is a
BIG problem, seeing as we don't have any...well atleast none that the people over at area
51 want us to know about...hehehe.

Keep hope alive, and information free,
- Travis C.

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