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Speed of light broken with basic lab kit
New Scientist.com ^ | 16 September 02 | Charles Choi

Posted on 09/16/2002 7:26:53 AM PDT by aculeus

Electric signals can be transmitted at least four times faster than the speed of light using only basic equipment that would be found in virtually any college science department.

Scientists have sent light signals at faster-than-light speeds over the distances of a few metres for the last two decades - but only with the aid of complicated, expensive equipment. Now physicists at Middle Tennessee State University have broken that speed limit over distances of nearly 120 metres, using off-the-shelf equipment costing just $500.

Jeremy Munday and Bill Robertson made a 120-metre-long cable by alternating six- to eight-metre-long lengths of two different kinds of coaxial cable, each with a different electrical resistance. They hooked this hybrid cable up to two signal generators, one of which broadcast a fast wave, the other a slow one. The waves interfere with each other to produce electric pulses, which can be watched using an oscilloscope.

Any pulse, whether electrical, light or sound, can be imagined as a group of tiny intermingled waves. The energy of this "group pulse" rises and falls over space, with a peak in the middle. The different electrical resistances in the hybrid cable cause the waves in the pulse's rear to reflect off each other, accelerating the pulse's peak forward.

Four billion km/h

By using the oscilloscope to trace the pulse's strength and speed, the researchers confirmed they sent the signal's peak tunnelling through the cable at more than four billion kilometres per hour.

"It really is basement science," Robertson said. The apparatus is so simple that Robertson once assembled the setup from scratch in 40 minutes.

While the peak moves faster than light speed, the total energy of the pulse does not. This means Einstein's relativity is preserved, so do not expect super-fast starships or time machines anytime soon.

Signals also get weaker and more distorted the faster they go, so in theory no useful information can get transmitted at faster-than-light speeds, though Robertson hopes his students and others can now rigorously and cheaply test those ideas.

Physicist Alain Hache at the University of Moncton in Canada adds that it may be possible to use this reflection technique to boost electrical signal speeds in computers and telecommunications grids by more than 50 per cent.

Electrons usually travel at about two-thirds of light speed in wires, slowed down as they bump into atoms. Hache says it may be possible to send usable electrical signals to near light speed.

© Copyright Reed Business Information Ltd.


TOPICS: Front Page News; US: Tennessee
KEYWORDS: realscience; techindex
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To: js1138
This reminds me of a question I have about Star Wars Physics. Has anyone ever calculated the apparent speed of the wave front in the exploding planet? My guess is the debris cloud is traveling considerably faster than the speed of light.

Not to mentioned the dying planet's psychic scream, which rippled out via the force or something.

41 posted on 09/16/2002 8:30:13 AM PDT by VadeRetro
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To: aculeus
For Sale: Electronic test equipment, slightly used.
42 posted on 09/16/2002 8:30:58 AM PDT by Crowcreek
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To: Teacher317
NY Senators to NYT:

"The party of the peoples must act swiftly. Already, evil and greedy students have broken the speed of light with an unregistered basic lab kit.
How can I have another listening tour to tell the peoples how to vote, if I can't see who I'm listening to."

43 posted on 09/16/2002 8:31:13 AM PDT by FreedomFarmer
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To: BenLurkin
We don't need that much more speed for meaningful AI. In fact, if you want to see a vast step towards meaningful AI, come see MY basement. Today. My neurosemantic database will be finished in a matter of hours!
44 posted on 09/16/2002 8:31:54 AM PDT by Technocrat
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To: r9etb
The cost comes when you start trying for high performance, precision, reliability, and (for manned flight) getting the crew home alive.

In amateur rocketry, that last consideration is nontrivial even for unmanned flight.

<<<---<)B^)

45 posted on 09/16/2002 8:32:06 AM PDT by Erasmus
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To: Centurion2000
so where's the warp drive already ?

This looks more akin to sub-space communication. ;-)

46 posted on 09/16/2002 8:32:51 AM PDT by StriperSniper
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To: VadeRetro
The Force obviously relies on quantum entanglement, having no locality. I'm sure you knew that.

But anyone with a DVD of the original Star Wars (I don't) could do a frame by frame analysis of the explosion and calculae the speed of the escaping debris. for example, how long does it take the debris field to double and triple the original planet size?

47 posted on 09/16/2002 8:36:00 AM PDT by js1138
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To: js1138
If you start looking at movie explosions, you often notice that shells detonating next to movie ships are kicking up water droplets bigger than an elephant.
48 posted on 09/16/2002 8:37:58 AM PDT by VadeRetro
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To: balrog666
They are rooting out anti-Einsteinian heretics.


Either that, or they are trying to confuse and bore everyone at the same time.
49 posted on 09/16/2002 8:38:41 AM PDT by apochromat
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To: js1138
how long does it take the debris field to double and triple the original planet size?

Long enough for Hans Solo to save Princess Leia

50 posted on 09/16/2002 8:39:40 AM PDT by woofie
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To: apochromat
But if it's exactly 13 minutes past the hour here, then it's exactly 13 minutes past the hour everywhere on Earth.

Ahhh, but that's not correct. There are some time zones that are a half-hour off of the neighboring one:


51 posted on 09/16/2002 8:40:01 AM PDT by r9etb
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To: aculeus
"Speed of light broken with basic lab kit"

UNless they measured something wrong, or measured by a previous wrong measurement or maybe their equipment was not calibrated correctly or maybe.....nevermind
and now for my secund secound 2nd cup of mornin coffee....

"If you reach total enlightenment while drinking beer, I bet it makes beer come out your nose.
Deep Thoughts- Jack Handy

52 posted on 09/16/2002 8:40:34 AM PDT by hosepipe
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To: aculeus
Another reason not to fixate on "prestige" universities.

Actually, this article shows why you should fixate on prestige universities and not let your kid pretend to study physics at middle tennessee state.

This quote "the waves in the pulse's rear to reflect off each other, accelerating the pulse's peak forward. " shows that the experimenters, or the author of the article does not know what they are talking about. The waves do not "accelerate" the peak forward. The wave interference is only making it appear that way.

53 posted on 09/16/2002 8:40:36 AM PDT by staytrue
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To: FreedomFarmer
Some politician is gonna demand a speed limit be set and enforced, for 'da chilwrens', with his sister's cousin's second step-critter in charge of 'rite'n dem speeders up' for life.

666,016,199 Miles Per Hour.

It's not just a good idea, it's the Law.

54 posted on 09/16/2002 8:43:54 AM PDT by Erasmus
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To: r9etb
My recommendation would be don't go there, especially for the purposes of thought experiments.
55 posted on 09/16/2002 8:44:09 AM PDT by apochromat
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To: You Gotta Be Kidding Me
Where is Mr. Data when I need him to explain this stuff to me.
56 posted on 09/16/2002 8:44:33 AM PDT by AxelPaulsenJr
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To: XNavyNuc
In this case a wavefront might be able to carry 'intelligence'

The pulse that "moves" forward, does not move at all. There is a pulse that is the combination of a lot of waves at time=t1 and the pulse you observe moving faster than light is not the same pulse at time=t1 but a brand new pulse that sort of looks like the old pulse but was created by a different interfernce pattern at time=t2. The second pulse is not the same as the first pulse and can not carry information as a result.

57 posted on 09/16/2002 8:45:51 AM PDT by staytrue
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To: Erasmus
It's not just a good idea, it's the Law.

About a hundred years ago, the Tennessee State Legislature attempted to pass a law fixing the value of PI at 3. (Using 3.14159265.... was too hard on the children).

From Petr Beckmann's "The History of Pi"

58 posted on 09/16/2002 8:46:08 AM PDT by bcoffey
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To: Erasmus
But officer, that light wasn't red, it was only pink...
59 posted on 09/16/2002 8:47:23 AM PDT by FreedomFarmer
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To: bcoffey
If a pie pan is 9" across, and you remove a piece of pie 3" across at it's widest, how many pieces of pie are left?
60 posted on 09/16/2002 8:50:35 AM PDT by FreedomFarmer
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