Shift vector symmetry in the Alcubierre warp drive spacetime geometry

Abstract: This work explores the set of coupled partial differential equations of the Einstein equations yielding vacuum solutions in the original Alcubierre warp drive metric with the cosmological constant. It is shown that under an appropriate ansatz they reveal a Burgers-type equation and a heat-type equation. These results indicate that the spacetime distortion carrying a mass particle at superluminal speeds, the Alcubierre warp bubble, may be interpreted as a geometric analog of a propagating shock front, which suggests a possible novel theoretical framework to deal with superluminal warp speeds.