The curvature invariants of three Lorentzian wormholes are calculated and plotted in this paper. The plots may be inspected for discontinuities to analyze the traversability of a wormhole. This approach was formulated by Henry, Overduin, and Wilcomb for black holes (Henry et al., 2016). Curvature invariants are independent of coordinate basis, so the process is free of coordinate mapping distortions and the same regardless of your chosen coordinates (Christoffel, E.B., 1869; Stephani, et al., 2003). The four independent Carminati and McLenaghan (CM) invariants are calculated and the nonzero curvature invariant functions are plotted (Carminati et al., 1991; Santosuosso et al., 1998). Three traversable wormhole line elements analyzed include the (i) spherically symmetric Morris and Thorne, (ii) thin-shell Schwarzschild wormholes, and (iii) the exponential metric (Visser, M., 1995; Boonserm et al., 2018).

A process for using curvature invariants is applied to evaluate the metrics for the Alcubierre and the Natário warp drives at a constant velocity. Curvature invariants are independent of coordinate bases, so plotting these invariants will be free of coordinate mapping distortions. As a consequence, they provide a novel perspective into complex spacetimes, such as warp drives. Warp drives are the theoretical solutions to Einstein’s field equations that allow for the possibility for faster-than-light (FTL) travel. While their mathematics is well established, the visualisation of such spacetimes is unexplored. This paper uses the methods of computing and plotting the warp drive curvature invariants to reveal these spacetimes. The warp drive parameters of velocity, skin depth and radius are varied individually and then plotted to see each parameter’s unique effect on the surrounding curvature. For each warp drive, this research shows a safe harbor and how the shape function forms the warp bubble. The curvature plots for the constant velocity Natário warp drive do not contain a wake or a constant curvature, indicating that these are unique features of the accelerating Natário warp drive.

A process for using curvature invariants is applied to evaluate the accelerating Natário warp drive. Curvature invariants are independent of coordinate bases and plotting the invariants is free of coordinate mapping distortions. While previous works focus mainly on the mathematical description of the warp bubble, plotting curvature invariants provides a novel pathway to investigate the Natário spacetime and its characteristics. For warp drive spacetimes, there are four independent curvature invariants the Ricci scalar, $r_1$, $r_2$, and $w_2$. The invariant plots demonstrate how each curvature invariant evolves over the parameters of time, acceleration, skin depth and radius of the warp bubble. They show that the Ricci scalar has the greatest impact of the invariants on the surrounding spacetime. They also reveal key features of the Natário warp bubble such as a flat harbor in the center of it, a dynamic wake, and the internal structures of the warp bubble.