Can the Speed of Light be Greater than c?

In summary, tachyons are mathematical possibilities, and there is no evidence that they actually exist.
  • #1
smslca
64
0
Is there any situation in the world of physics that speed of light > (c=3*10^8)
or can it be? IS there any possibility?
 
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  • #2
Phase velocity of light in some metamaterials can exceed the speed of light, but not group velocity, so you can't carry any information that way.

There are some experiments for sending information faster than light using quantum tunneling, but there is nothing that actually propagates faster than light there.

Finally, you can play some tricks with metric, but it only makes things travel faster than light relative to external observer. In local space, they are still moving at most at the speed of light.

So if you are looking for actual propagation at faster than light speed, no, it doesn't happen.
 
  • #3
what are these tachyons. Are tachyons correct in the theory. It is said that they can move faster than light .(read in wikipedia)
 
  • #4
is this Quantum entanglement related to speed of light? As said in
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_entanglement

"If the distance between particles is large enough, information or influence might be traveling faster than the speed of light which violates the principle of special relativity. One experiment that is in agreement with the effect of entanglement "traveling faster than light" was performed in 2008. the experiment found the "speed" of quantum entanglement has a minimum lower bound of 10,000 times the speed of light. [5]However, because the method involves uncontrollable observation rather than controllable changing of state, no actual information is transmitted in this process. Therefore, the speed of light remains the communication speed limit."

what does it actually mean
 
  • #5
smslca said:
what are these tachyons. Are tachyons correct in the theory. It is said that they can move faster than light .(read in wikipedia)

Tachyons are pretty much complete rubbish. They're simply a mathematical possibility in the equations. To illustrate how ridiculous they are, I'll give an analogous demonstration:
Suppose we have a one-dimensional kinematics problem. A runner running with constant acceleration starting from zero velocity and some initial position. His displacement is described by:
[tex]x=x_0 + \frac{1}{2}at^2 [/tex]
We can solve for t...
[tex]t=\sqrt{\frac{2\left(x-x_0\right)}{a}}[/tex]
So apparently, for a negative (or x0 > x ) we have imaginary time. Therefore we have given evidence for the existence of imaginary time. Might as well call these runners who move on an imaginary timeline tachyonic runners and make a wikipedia article about it.

Obviously this is ridiculous, we're just abusing equations. In my opinion, and that of a fair number of physicists I know, tachyons are much the same way (of course, my example is overly simplified but I think the point is clear).
 
  • #6
smslca said:
what does it actually mean
If you 'mix' two particles and then separate them.
If you observe the state of one particle you force it to collapse into a particular state and force the other particle to collapse into the other state.
This message to collapse is faster than light (in some interpretations of QM) - but since you can't pick which state your particle collapses into you can't force the remote particle to do anything in particular.
 
  • #7
smslca said:
Is there any situation in the world of physics that speed of light > (c=3*10^8)

the only theory, i know of, where something can travel faster than light (and still transmit information) is in the Big Bang Theory in regards to expansion. seems like only space itself can travel faster than the Speed of Light :frown:
 
  • #8
No, entanglement doesn't have anything to do with the speed of light. There is no super-luminal communication between entangled pairs.

Anything that moves faster than speed of light cannot absorb/emit photons, gluons, or gravitons. So whether or not tachyons exist is sort of a moot point, if they cannot interact with anything.
 

1. What is the speed of light and why is it important?

The speed of light is a fundamental physical constant with a value of approximately 299,792,458 meters per second. It plays a crucial role in our understanding of the universe and is a key component in many scientific theories, including Einstein's theory of relativity.

2. Can anything travel faster than the speed of light?

According to the theory of relativity, the speed of light is the maximum speed at which any object can travel in the universe. This means that nothing, including matter and information, can travel faster than the speed of light.

3. Is it possible for the speed of light to change?

Based on our current understanding of physics, the speed of light is considered to be a constant and cannot be changed. However, there are theories that suggest the speed of light may have been different in the early stages of the universe.

4. What would happen if the speed of light was greater than c?

If the speed of light was greater than c, it would contradict the theory of relativity and many other fundamental principles of physics. It would also have significant implications for the laws of cause and effect, as well as our understanding of time and space.

5. Are there any exceptions to the speed of light being the maximum speed?

There are currently no known exceptions to the speed of light being the maximum speed. However, there are some phenomena, such as quantum entanglement, that appear to violate the speed limit of light. These are still being studied and do not necessarily challenge the principle that the speed of light is the ultimate speed limit in the universe.

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