Are Tachyons Real or Just a Theoretical Concept Compared to Photons?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the existence of tachyons, hypothetical particles that travel faster than light, and their relationship to photons, which are known to travel at the speed of light. Participants explore theoretical implications, the consistency of tachyons with established physics, and logical reasoning surrounding these concepts.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants assert that tachyons are hypothetical and inconsistent with known laws of physics, while photons are established particles that move at the speed of light.
  • Others argue that the existence of photons does not imply the existence of tachyons, questioning the logical connection between the two.
  • A participant references a theoretical physics FAQ to provide context on tachyons and their discussion in literature.
  • Some participants challenge the reasoning that if something can travel at a certain speed, it implies the existence of something that can travel faster.
  • There is a claim that while relativity does not allow particles with positive mass to reach the speed of light, it does not explicitly rule out the existence of faster-than-light particles.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express disagreement regarding the implications of photons on the existence of tachyons, with no consensus reached on the validity of tachyons as a concept or their relationship to photons.

Contextual Notes

Discussions involve assumptions about the nature of mass, speed, and the implications of relativity, which remain unresolved and are subject to interpretation.

agentundercover99
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TL;DR
Im trying to discover if Photons prove Tachyons existence
A tachyon or tachyonic particle is a hypothetical particle that always travels faster than light. Most physicists believe that faster-than-light particles cannot exist because they are not consistent with the known laws of physics. - Tachyon definition
The photon is a type of elementary particle... The invariant mass of the photon is zero; it always moves at the speed of light in a vacuum.
To summarise that, basically a Tachyon is a theoretical particle that always travels faster than light, and a Photon is an existing particle that always moves at the speed of light
Are photons not proof that tachyons exist?
 
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agentundercover99 said:
Are photons not proof that tachyons exist?
They are not. We have very convincing theories, based on enormous amounts of solid experimental evidence and consistent mathematical arguments, that there can be things with rest mass that move at less than the speed of light and things with zero rest mass that move at the speed of light but not things that move faster than the speed of light.

The existence of photons suggest that these theories are correct.
 
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agentundercover99 said:
Are photons not proof that tachyons exist?

No. Why would they be?
 
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agentundercover99 said:
Summary:: I am trying to discover if Photons prove Tachyons existence

A tachyon or tachyonic particle is a hypothetical particle that always travels faster than light. Most physicists believe that faster-than-light particles cannot exist because they are not consistent with the known laws of physics. - Tachyon definition
The photon is a type of elementary particle... The invariant mass of the photon is zero; it always moves at the speed of light in a vacuum.
To summarise that, basically a Tachyon is a theoretical particle that always travels faster than light, and a Photon is an existing particle that always moves at the speed of light
Are photons not proof that tachyons exist?

Your sense of logic is extremely faulty here. You are saying that

A = B,

and thus, C must exist, without showing a direct consequence or connection between the two.

Is this sensible to you?

If it is, then you must be a politician.

Zz.
 
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agentundercover99 said:
... faster-than-light particles cannot exist because they are not consistent with the known laws of physics. -
If I'm not mistaken, they're not inconsistent with the laws of physics either.

Relativity states that no (positive) mass can reach the speed of light from less than c. It also says no ftl particle can slow down to c from ftl. But it doesn't rule out ftl particles.
 
ZapperZ said:
If it is, then you must be a politician.
Even arguments by politicians seem to make sense at first, if one thinks superficially. But the argument presented here makes absolutely no sense at all. o_O
 
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Right, if my car can go 100 mph then that proves that there is a tachycar that can go 101 mph. QED :rolleyes:
 
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