Smaller than Photon: FTL Communication Possibility?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the possibility of particles smaller than photons that could potentially enable faster-than-light (FTL) communication. Participants explore theoretical concepts, such as tachyons, and question the implications of size and speed in relation to these particles.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests the possibility of a wave or particle smaller than a photon that could travel faster than light, raising the question of FTL communication.
  • Another participant asserts that such a possibility is not feasible.
  • Some participants discuss tachyons, proposing that they are hypothetical particles with imaginary rest mass that could travel faster than light, though their existence is not widely accepted in the scientific community.
  • There is a mention that tachyons would imply backward time travel, which adds complexity to the discussion.
  • A participant questions the relevance of size versus speed in the context of these particles, suggesting that speed should not depend on size.
  • Another participant humorously argues that smaller objects are harder to find, using analogies to illustrate their point.
  • Questions arise about the size of photons and their relationship to concepts like the Planck length.
  • One participant expresses confusion about the nature of light, questioning how it can possess size without mass.
  • There is a reiteration of the mathematical possibility of tachyons and a query about whether this conflicts with special relativity (SR).
  • Another participant clarifies that the concept of imaginary rest mass for faster-than-light particles is a consequence of SR, but the physical meaning of "imaginary mass" remains unclear.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the feasibility of particles smaller than photons and the implications of tachyons. There is no consensus on the existence or nature of such particles, and the discussion remains unresolved.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight limitations in understanding the implications of size and speed, as well as the theoretical nature of tachyons and their compatibility with established physics. The discussion includes unresolved questions about the physical interpretation of imaginary mass.

bozo the clown
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Is it concievable that that their could be a wave/particle smaller than a photon and traveling faster than a photon giving us FTL communication possibilities ?
If my question seems stupid please understand I am a clown !
 
Science news on Phys.org
Snot possible.

--

Everybody loves a clown, so why don't you? -- Gary Lewis and the Playboys
 
Well, it is mathematically possible that there could exist tachyons - particles with imaginary rest mass that always travel at speeds greater than c, but none have ever been detected and few physicists take the possibility seriously.
 
The fact that they travel backwards in time is the real clincher.
 
But why the "smaller than a photon"? Are you interested in size or speed?

(Surely you don't think that speed depends on size!)
 
well i say smaller because after all its easier to find a baseball in a pile of haystacks than a breadcrumb
 
bozo the clown said:
well i say smaller because after all its easier to find a baseball in a pile of haystacks than a breadcrumb

Not if you're a mouse.
 
...or a female breadcrumb...

how big is a photon anyway? does it have something to do with the Planck length?
 
I frankly never understood the concept of light. How can it have a size and no mass?
 
  • #10
Pyrovus said:
Well, it is mathematically possible that there could exist tachyons - particles with imaginary rest mass that always travel at speeds greater than c, but none have ever been detected and few physicists take the possibility seriously.

Is this mathematics in conflict with SR?
 
  • #11
No, it is precisely because of SR that any particles that travel faster than light must have imaginary rest mass. Of course no one has ever identified such particles and it is not at all clear what "imaginary mass" would mean physically.
 

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