Is it possible to communicate faster than light according to Bohm's theory?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the possibility of faster-than-light (FTL) communication in the context of Bohm's theory and quantum mechanics. Participants explore the implications of entanglement, the historical context of Bohm's work, and the theoretical considerations surrounding FTL particles.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants inquire about Bohm's contributions to the idea of FTL communication, suggesting that he indicated a mechanism involving particle splitting and instantaneous response.
  • Others propose that the phenomenon described resembles entanglement, noting that while there is ongoing debate, the consensus is that information cannot be transmitted via this mechanism without a causal control signal.
  • A participant corrects an earlier claim, stating that it was Bell who proposed the experiments related to quantum mechanics, and that Bohm's theory has been interpreted as violating relativity due to the notion of a pilot wave.
  • Concerns are raised about the feasibility of measuring or knowing about phenomena that travel faster than light, questioning the visibility and existence of such entities.
  • Another participant clarifies that while FTL particles are not forbidden by relativity, sending information FTL would lead to causality violations, referencing tachyons and their portrayal in science fiction.
  • Discussion includes the historical context of tachyons in string theory and their implications for theoretical physics.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the implications of Bohm's theory and the nature of FTL communication. There is no consensus on whether FTL communication is possible or how it relates to quantum mechanics and relativity.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight limitations in understanding the implications of Bohm's theory, the definitions of FTL communication, and the unresolved nature of tachyons within theoretical frameworks.

CHORGENSOTRUFORX
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Can someone help me to understand exactly what Bohm did to indicate the possiblity of faster than light communication. Bohm did something to the akin of splitting a particle and than changing the direction of one half of the particle and the other half responded so quickly that light would not have had time to traverse the area between.
 
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It sounds like entanglement. I would try posting in the QM board.

People still argue about entanglement to this day. The majority consensus is that information cannot be transmitted by this mechanism, even though microscopic influences can. There is a group at my former university who works on, among other things, the theory behind using entanglement for an information channel, but a causal control signal is still required in their theory.
 
CHORGENSOTRUFORX said:
Can someone help me to understand exactly what Bohm did to indicate the possiblity of faster than light communication. Bohm did something to the akin of splitting a particle and than changing the direction of one half of the particle and the other half responded so quickly that light would not have had time to traverse the area between.

Bohm did not do this. The suggestion upon which the Aspect & Clause experiments were done was made by Bell, who developed his famous inequalities as a test for quantum mechanics. Bell was a partisan of Bohm's view and hoped for an experimental outcome that would favor Bohm's theory. But in fact the results came out as quantum mechanics predicted.

Bohm's version of quantum mechanics is held to violate relativity because it features a pilot wave that drives the particle, and they have to interact faster than light. Or so the traditional Bohm theory went. Modern "Bohmists" have tried to eliminate that feature.
 
isnt it impossible to measure something faster than the speed of light, let alone know of its existence because it would not be visible at all? :confused:
 
Riko said:
isnt it impossible to measure something faster than the speed of light, let alone know of its existence because it would not be visible at all? :confused:

Particles traveling FTL are not forbidden by relativity. You can not _accelerate up to and past_ the speed of light, and if you could send information FTL it would violate causality, because some inertial observers could receive it before it was sent. This aspect of tachyons (as FTL particles are called) was used by Gregory Benford in his famous novel Timescape, in which a tachyon message is sent back in time to warn people off a dangerous course of action.

Tachyons are a natural product of naive string theory, and one of the motivation of the development of superstrings was to eliminate them. However string field theory has found a use for them, so the story goes on.
 

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