This is the third book in the series that included 'The Theory of Nothing' the "The Universe Revealed.' My purpose in this new book is to more fully explain how science is actually done and how science fits into our culture along with religion and p...
When I was much younger, I read a science fiction book by Larry Niven called 'Ringworld'. It was the first time I had heard of the idea of building a mega structure around a star. This structure was a million miles wide and had the diameter of Earth's orbit, and it rotated to provide artificial gravity.
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The ultimate mega structure would be a Dyson sphere that would essentially encase a star in a hollow sphere with the diameter of Earth's orbit. This idea was used in Star Trek and other science fiction works. It came to light recently with the discovery of Taby's star that appeared to be such a mega structure around a star.
Could something like this be constructed?
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That's an interesting question. The answer that I usually give is 'maybe'.
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Presently, a Dyson sphere is a hypothetical mega structure. Such a massive structure is way beyond our capability, but it could be possible for a more advanced alien species.
There is a possible method for making such a structure. It would be composed of a swarm of independent satellites, constructed and then deployed by means of robots. This is known as a Dyson bubble. However, one problem with this idea is keeping the individual satellites from colliding.
The main problem with constructing a mega structure is the material requirements. One possibility would be graphene, a two-dimensional form of carbon. However, a means of constructing large sheets of graphene have not been worked out.
Another possibility would be carbon nanotubes. These could be used to create sheets that are 0.3g per meter squared. Sheets of this could be constructed to the size of Europa, Jupiter's moon. However, making something like this into a Dyson shell is beyond our capability.
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Assuming that a Dyson sphere could be created, it would surround a star and capture 100% of the star's energy and provide habitation for trillions of people. However, a method must be found to keep the Dyson shell in a constant position relative to the star. Since it's not really in orbit, it could drift, so it would require constant propulsion to keep it in position. The other problem is that this shell would have no gravitation. Rotating the shell would provide artificial gravity, but only for the equatorial region of the shell. The other problem is preventing the shell's implosion because of the star's gravity. Another problem is collision from asteroids and comets. However, asteroids could be used to create the structure, thus eliminating their danger.
This is only a cursory discussion of the problems of creating such a mega structure. We are a long way from doing anything that spectacular.
