Djinnanetoniks t1_jculumi wrote on March 19, 2023 at 6:06 PM

This sounds like a refinement of the QThruster that NASA was investigating a few years back. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20140000067 Basically using a very high voltage field to separate the spontaneous pair particles produced from the quantum foam and accelerating them with respect to the thruster in order to impart motion on the device and attached ship.

AaronElsewhere t1_jczp814 wrote on March 20, 2023 at 7:54 PM

So layman me wondering where do these particles come from? I.e. if it's accelerating half the pair away, then it needs a steady supply of more pairs. Are these photons?

Djinnanetoniks t1_jczpql5 wrote on March 20, 2023 at 7:58 PM

No they are "virtual particles" that are spontaneously generated and annihilated within the quantum foam. Any more concrete explanation would need someone who actually understands the math of quantum mechanics in this field, which I am not :P