According to our current understanding of physics, specifically the theory of special relativity, traveling faster than the speed of light is not possible within the framework of our known laws of physics. Special relativity states that the speed of light, denoted by "c," is an absolute speed limit in the universe.
As an object with mass accelerates, its energy increases, and its relativistic mass also increases. As an object approaches the speed of light, its relativistic mass becomes infinitely large, requiring an infinite amount of energy to continue accelerating. This means that it would take an infinite amount of energy to reach or exceed the speed of light, which is not feasible.
However, there are some theoretical concepts that have been proposed to potentially allow for faster-than-light travel without violating the laws of physics as we currently understand them. These concepts are still highly speculative and have not been proven or observed experimentally. Two such examples are:
Wormholes: Wormholes are hypothetical tunnels in spacetime that could connect two distant regions or even different universes. If traversable wormholes exist, they could potentially allow for shortcuts in spacetime, effectively enabling faster-than-light travel between two points. However, the feasibility and stability of wormholes remain uncertain, and we currently do not have any evidence of their existence.
Alcubierre Drive: The Alcubierre drive is a speculative idea proposed by physicist Miguel Alcubierre. It suggests a method of achieving faster-than-light travel by warping spacetime around a spacecraft. Instead of the spacecraft moving through space, the idea is to distort spacetime in a way that contracts space in front of the spacecraft and expands it behind, effectively creating a "warp bubble" that carries the spacecraft faster than the speed of light. However, this concept relies on exotic forms of matter with negative energy densities, which have not been observed or confirmed to exist.
It's important to note that these concepts remain purely theoretical at this point, and significant technological and scientific advancements would be required to determine their feasibility and overcome the many challenges they present. Currently, our understanding of physics supports the idea that faster-than-light travel is unlikely within the known laws of physics.