Gamma Rays: Faster than Light?

[Quantum1332]

Since gamma rays are much more energetic, then shouldn't they travel faster. Gamma rays are light, but since they are faster shouldn't they travel faster than c?

 

[Lyuokdea]

The energy if a wave is given by the frequency of the wave, not by it's speed. Gamma waves are more energetic than visable light waves, so they have a higher frequency, and thus a shorter wavelength.

~Lyuokdea

 

[Ich]

As far as we know, gamma rays also travel at exactly c. There are theories (google "loop quantum gravity") that predict gamma rays to be slightly faster.

 

[yenchin]

There is also DSR or Doubly Special Relativity:

http://www.physicspost.com/articles.php?articleId=129

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doubly-special_relativity

This works by the fact DSR allows the energy of the photons themselves to in fact alter the speed of the photon. Blue light, for example, would travel at a slightly faster speed than red light. This difference is of course minute. Maguijo reasons that in the early universe, where photons had much higher energies than today, their velocities may in fact be significantly higher. Though this is in direct contradiction of Einstein, it does solve a lot of problems in cosmology.

However DSR remains controversial and speculative.