- #1
kochanskij
- 44
- 4
When light encounters a boundary between a dense medium (glass) and a less dense one (air), it may undergo total internal reflection. But if there is another glass a short distance away, some light will jump the forbidden region by a tunneling process and enter the second glass medium. This jump occurs instantly; the light tunnels at infinite speed.
Couldn't information be sent faster than light using this process, violating the theory of relativity?
The amplitude of the signal decreases exponentially thru the air gap, so the distance must be small (only a few wavelengths). Microwaves can be used so that the gap could be at least a few centimeters. I know light slows down in glass, but it could be thin glass and the gap made large enough to more than compensate.
A signal sent thru this glass/air gap/glass combo would beat a signal sent directly thru a vacuum. Is there something I have overlooked? If a superluminal signal can be sent, even over a short distance, could this lead to causally violations and paradoxes?
Couldn't information be sent faster than light using this process, violating the theory of relativity?
The amplitude of the signal decreases exponentially thru the air gap, so the distance must be small (only a few wavelengths). Microwaves can be used so that the gap could be at least a few centimeters. I know light slows down in glass, but it could be thin glass and the gap made large enough to more than compensate.
A signal sent thru this glass/air gap/glass combo would beat a signal sent directly thru a vacuum. Is there something I have overlooked? If a superluminal signal can be sent, even over a short distance, could this lead to causally violations and paradoxes?