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Old 05-28-2019, 07:31 PM   #1
Maximum7
 
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Default What could a scientist in an advanced civilization with FTL be working on?

I’m trying to write a story about a scientist in a highly advanced, super society. They have Faster than light propulsion and have colonized several galaxies. For his work, he wins the Far Future equivalent of the Nobel Prize in Physics (but in the story it could be something in the fields of physics, chemistry or biology). What could he have done to win this prize? Science heavy ideas obviously encouraged. The year is 2400 A.D.
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Old 05-28-2019, 07:50 PM   #2
Shostak
 
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Default Re: What could a scientist in an advanced civilization with FTL be working on?

Artificial gravity and superluminal communication would be very useful to such a civilization.
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Old 05-28-2019, 08:26 PM   #3
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Default Re: What could a scientist in an advanced civilization with FTL be working on?

At this point, a lot of things would be pretty esoteric. Take a look at recent Nobel laureates and you'll see that they largely don't make much sense to the average person. So, you could do something along those lines. For instance:

A method of reducing sensor energy drain while increasing resolution

Producing a solid proof of objects smaller than previously observed.

Demonstration of transmission reception of detailed data from a neutron star farther than previously thought possible.

etc.
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Old 05-29-2019, 01:33 AM   #4
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Default Re: What could a scientist in an advanced civilization with FTL be working on?

Immortality. What else.
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Old 05-29-2019, 07:07 AM   #5
ericthered
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Default Re: What could a scientist in an advanced civilization with FTL be working on?

If you want to be tongue in cheek about it, they could either be investigating why FTL doesn't result in time travel, or trying to make time travel work*

*The key is a privileged frame, which by current understanding physics doesn't exist. But knowing that just opens up a bunch of new questions, and several nobel prizes could be awarded when people answer them. Why is there a privledge reference frame? what exactly is it? Can you cheat it? What particles/forces make it tick? Is there a theory of relativity underneath the theory of relativity?

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A theory of quantum gravity is always fun, and its physic's current holy grail. It also involves immense amounts of energy, which can be fun to play with.
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Old 06-01-2019, 06:08 PM   #6
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Default Re: What could a scientist in an advanced civilization with FTL be working on?

Quote:
Originally Posted by ericthered View Post
If you want to be tongue in cheek about it, they could either be investigating why FTL doesn't result in time travel, or trying to make time travel work*
There are a few physicists who disagree with the inherent time travel aspect of potential FTL, noting that all current effects measured only slow down felt/perceived time, so there is some already extant privileged frame tied to time's arrow.

They're a minority... but most of the "big things" in physics were debatable for decades.

It's also worth noting that a recent theory says "nothing has ever entered a black hole" - because as they approach, local gravity slows local time to nil vs the reference frame including one or more stars. This also neatly avoids the information paradox; it's all frozen at the boundary.

So, in an FTL allowed universe - one might be trying to devise an FTL probe to see the other side of the information horizon of a black hole, and checking to see if it's the same as the event horizon...
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Old 05-29-2019, 09:35 AM   #7
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Default Re: What could a scientist in an advanced civilization with FTL be working on?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Michele View Post
Immortality. What else.
Ascension.
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Old 05-29-2019, 10:11 AM   #8
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Default Re: What could a scientist in an advanced civilization with FTL be working on?

This thread:

http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread...ight=star+wars

seems to cover a lot of the same ground, you may be able to find some ideas there...

Last edited by The Colonel; 05-29-2019 at 10:14 AM.
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