Do All Massless Particles Travel at the Speed of Light?

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Massless particles, such as photons and gluons, are the only particles that can travel at the speed of light (c), while particles with mass cannot reach this speed due to the infinite energy required for acceleration. Neutrinos were discussed as potential massless particles, but recent studies suggest they possess mass, which would prevent them from traveling at c. The concept of speed in relation to light is broader than just photon travel; it represents an upper limit for the transmission of information. Cerenkov radiation demonstrates that particles can exceed the speed of light in a medium, but this does not violate the fundamental speed limit in a vacuum. Overall, the discussions highlight the complexities surrounding mass, speed, and the nature of particles in physics.
  • #31
To my knowledge, gravitation travels at the speed of light.
 
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  • #32
Generalization

One could make the generalization that all massless particles travel at the speed of light. They have no choices, one could argue (correct me if I am wrong), due to the symmetry predicted by special relativity. So, this would include a few force carriers, such as:

EM force carrier: photon
Strong force carrier: gluon
Gravitational force carrier: graviton(?)

Does not include the carriers of the strong force, the W+, W-, and the Z0. They have a NON-ZERO mass.
 

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