The adventures of the rocketeer: accelerated motion under the influence of expanding space

TY - JOUR

T1 - The adventures of the rocketeer

T2 - accelerated motion under the influence of expanding space

AU - Kwan, J.

AU - Lewis, G. F.

AU - James, John Berian

PY - 2010/3/10

Y1 - 2010/3/10

N2 - 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-Lemâtre-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.

AB - 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-Lemâtre-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.

U2 - 10.1071/AS09050

DO - 10.1071/AS09050

M3 - Journal article

SN - 1448-6083

VL - 27

SP - 15

EP - 22

JO - Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia

JF - Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia

IS - 1

ER -