Alan Holt is a researcher at the Johnson Manned Spaceflight Center, in Houston, Texas. He is one of the pioneers in breakthrough propulsion physics research. He was in attendance at the August 1997 Breakthrough Propulsion Physics Workshop. His spring 1980 article, in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Student Journal, opened up my mind to the possibilities of star travel. Before then, I was thinking in terms of wormholes, and traveling through four spatial dimensions, as the only possible means for future potential star travel. The following is my review of the 1980 article.
"Hydromagnetics and Future Propulsion Systems", Alan C. Holt, spring 1980 AIAA Student Journal.
Hydromagnetics, involves oscillations of magnetic fields of force, creating field lines, or alfven waves.
Waves travel along the field lines. There is a possibility of a system that can nullify or amplify electromagnetic patterns with an existing gravitational field, by artificially generating the right patterns of magnetic and electric fields of high field strength.
This concept proposes that this process can cause space-time tunneling, using coherent patterns of magnetic and electric fields of high field strength, to resonate with the structure of space-time. This process would be similar to tuning a radio to a specific frequency.
A particle can escape and energy well, traveling faster than light, by extending its wave characteristics, beyond the energy barrier. Less energy is required to tunnel through the energy barrier than it is to go over the energy barrier.
This would require laser generated megagaus magnetic fields. The perpendicular density and temperature gradients would create the structure of the necessary fields.
Magnetic fields around a spacecraft can be used to extend the spacecraft's wave characteristics. Lasers inside the spacecraft would be arranged like spokes in a wheel formation. Each spoke of laser power would be tuned separately. Patterns would be connected through precise line merging and reconnection. The process involves forcing fields and plasma against each other. Pulse duration's must be long enough for the fields to meet.
Magnetic pressure B squared/8pi. Frequency tuning would help. Use of free-electron lasers, are recommended. They use magnetic fields and electron beams. They also have lower feedback cycles. The electron beam density can control flux, and field width. Higher frequency and higher field strength is used. Tunable frequency sensitive alloys might be needed.