Posted on 08/16/2007 10:15:43 AM PDT by LibWhacker
A pair of German physicists claim to have broken the speed of light - an achievement that would undermine our entire understanding of space and time.
According to Einstein's special theory of relativity, it would require an infinite amount of energy to propel an object at more than 186,000 miles per second.
However, Dr Gunter Nimtz and Dr Alfons Stahlhofen, of the University of Koblenz, say they may have breached a key tenet of that theory.
The pair say they have conducted an experiment in which microwave photons - energetic packets of light - travelled "instantaneously" between a pair of prisms that had been moved up to 3ft apart.
Being able to travel faster than the speed of light would lead to a wide variety of bizarre consequences.
For instance, an astronaut moving faster than it would theoretically arrive at a destination before leaving.
The scientists were investigating a phenomenon called quantum tunnelling, which allows sub-atomic particles to break apparently unbreakable laws.
Dr Nimtz told New Scientist magazine: "For the time being, this is the only violation of special relativity that I know of."
Im a physics major.
This is unbelievable...if its true. Ill believe it when i see it.
Howard Dean may be interested in this...yeararrgh!!!
BAH! I did it in 1973 to the same music!
“The researchers said they began their work, because they found the Autobahn too slow for them.”
Seriously, you start messing with photons and other quantum stuff, and gets weird real quick. (faster than light quick)
That, and the fact that gravity propagates at a speed that must be at least 2 * 1010 c, and may be infinite. If gravity moved at the comparatively sluggish speed of light then the Earth would spiral into the Sun.
It turns out that Einstein's theory of Special Relativity has subtle flaws* whereas (I am given to understand) Lorentz's much less famous but broadly equivalent construct for relativity works with an infinite speed of gravity.
* But don't ask me what they are! I'm leaving the thread with my fingers in my ears, lalalalala I can't hear you!
There was a young lady named bright
whose speed was much faster than light
she went out one day
in a relative way
and returned the previous night
I didn't even know they were Catholic!
Relativity was devised to explain some things about electromagnetic radiation. It explains nothing about things that aren’t photons or photon related. Cerenkov radiation is an example of something of possible interest.
Not measurable mass. Therefore it doesn’t seem that special relativity is violated. Like another poster has stated, quantum mechanics states that it is possible that the photon was observed in both prisms simultaneously.
Or maybe one of their clocks was off by a millisecond or so.
The real test for this will be reproducibility.
As one who earns a living off lightwave and lasers, I say “Hogwash!”
I’m calling BOGUS.........I bet this is a phenomenon like those balls in a cradle that is sold in stores for executive desk toys. Five or so balls suspended on strings, in a line. Pull one back and let it hit the others and one ball on the end leaves the group. Two balls hit and two balls leave. Three balls, etc. I suspect the photons are lined up in such a way as when one leaves the emitter end, one enters the receptor end..........speed of light is not a factor..........,
Ouch. My head hurts. ;)
There once was a fellow named Bright
Who could travel faster than light.
He went out one day, in a relative way
And came back the previous night.
"This is the sort of pedantry up with I will not put!"--Winston Churchill
“Ill believe it when i see it.”
_________________________________________________________
But if it’s faster than light...how can you?
Wow! Virginia is gonna fine them lotta moolah!
bump for later
Sounds like Worm Holes to me.
Shades of Farscape.
In a relativistic four (three spatial, one time) dimensional universe sure...in a quantum, multi-dimensional, universe relativistic physics can change in application.
The speed of light in higher dimensions could be faster than that in our dimensional space.
Theres a book called Faster Than Light written by a noted physicsist, which is pretty good.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.