Beyond Eternal Cruise: Quantum Radiation from Warp-Bubble Acceleration and Deceleration

This paper investigates quantum radiation generated during the acceleration and deceleration phases of hypothetical warp-bubble travel. Using the moving-mirror correspondence in a 1+1D quantum field theory model, the leading wall of a warp bubble is treated as a moving mirror whose particle-creation flux is exactly computable through the Davies–Fulling formalism. A closed-form Schwarzian derivative is derived directly in terms of the wall velocity and its first two time derivatives. Simulations of smooth accelerate–coast–decelerate trajectories show that constant-velocity motion radiates no energy, while transition phases generate radiation obeying two scaling laws: total radiated energy grows approximately linearly with ramp steepness (E ∝ σ^1.01) and diverges as cruise speed approaches the light cone (E ∝ (1−β)^−1.10). These results identify a previously unexamined transient semiclassical cost of warp-bubble travel and provide the first quantitative “go slow” design rule for minimizing transition radiation.