No, it would not be possible to curve space-time in the other "direction," because there is no real "direction" to what we call curvature. What we commonly call curving is, in fact, merely a way to express the idea that gravity draws other matter and energy towards its source, AS IF it were on the curved side of a bowl. While curvature in the opposite direction of normal gravitational fields may be possible with some as yet undiscovered law of physics, in much the way anti-gravitons are thought to curve space, the general theory of relativity prevents matter or energy from crossing the light barrier. Also, if something did travel faster than light, tachyons for instance, then it would travel backwards in time at a rate proportional to the speed above light that it is traveling. Also, it would require another type of relativity-breaking law to cross back over the light speed barrier and back into normal space-time.

: I know that strong gravitational fields, curve spacetime, hence slowing down light according to the uncurved spacetime. : Wouldn't it be possible to curve space-time in the opposite direction, so that light travelling in this region will travel faster according to an observer in an uncurved space-time frame. : This could mean that a space-ship travelling in this curved region could travel faster than light according to an observer in the uncurved region, but be travelling at less than c in it's curved space reference frame. : Does this mean that faster than light travel is possible without breaking the law which says that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light.

• Re: interstellar travel - camshron - April 21, 1998 - 21:39 UTC