The Adventures of the Rocketeer: Accelerated Motion Under the Influence of Expanding Space

Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia

Juliana Kwan¹ 

[1] Geraint F. Lewis

关键词: cosmology: theory;   

DOI  :  10.1071/AS09050

学科分类：天文学(综合)

来源: CSIRO

【 摘 要 】

It is well known that interstellar travel is bounded by the finite speed of light, but on very large scales any rocketeer would also need to consider the influence of cosmological expansion on their journey. This paper examines accelerated journeys within the framework of Friedmann–Lemaître–Robertson–Walker universes, illustrating how the duration of a fixed acceleration sharply divides exploration over interstellar and intergalactic distances. Furthermore, we show how the universal expansion increases the difficulty of intergalactic navigation, with small uncertainties in cosmological parameters resulting in significantly large deviations. This paper also shows that, contrary to simplistic ideas, the motion of any rocketeer is indistinguishable from Newtonian gravity if the acceleration is kept small.

【 授权许可】

Unknown