Travel Faster than a Photon: My 1st Forum Q

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the hypothetical scenario of traveling faster than a photon, exploring the implications of such travel on perception and the nature of photons. Participants delve into concepts from classical physics and relativity, as well as personal interpretations of Stephen Hawking's "A Brief History of Time." The conversation includes questions about the behavior of photons in empty space and the nature of time in relation to faster-than-light travel.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants wonder what it would look like to travel faster than a photon, questioning whether one would see a still image of their starting point or experience a distortion of visual information.
  • One participant suggests that, according to classical physics, traveling faster than light might result in distorted perceptions of incoming photons, while photons from behind would not be perceived at all.
  • Another participant questions the fate of photons traveling in empty space, proposing that they might vanish at a certain distance, while others assert that they continue indefinitely if unimpeded.
  • There is a discussion about the implications of time travel as described in Hawking's book, with some participants interpreting it as suggesting that time could appear to reverse under certain conditions, while others dispute this interpretation.
  • A participant asserts that photons are not made of atoms and describes them as fundamental particles of light, consisting of electric and magnetic fields.
  • Some participants emphasize the importance of clarifying quotes from Hawking's work, with disagreements about the interpretation of time travel and the conditions under which it might occur.
  • One participant notes that according to the Special Theory of Relativity, traveling faster than light is deemed impossible without infinite energy, although tachyons are mentioned as a theoretical exception.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express multiple competing views regarding the implications of faster-than-light travel, the nature of photons, and interpretations of Hawking's text. The discussion remains unresolved with no consensus on the interpretations presented.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference various interpretations of theoretical physics concepts, including relativity and the behavior of light. There are unresolved assumptions regarding the feasibility of faster-than-light travel and the implications of such travel on time perception.

  • #31
cragar said:
in a nuclear reactor neutrons travel faster than photons in the water , this is called cerenkov
radiation , although someone will probably say that photons only appear to slow down in different media and that they always travel at c .
and I might add that they can slow down light to like 38mph by passing it through an Einstein -Bose condensate , so in a sense you can travel faster than a photon , but not c .

This is not quite relevant to the thread, since we're talking about speed of photon, and not group velocity of light.

Zz.
 
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  • #32
boy you really are a physicist , my mistake
 
  • #33
elven said:
According to the Special Theory of Relativity, going faster than light is not possible, it would require an infinite amount of energy, although tachyons, etc are exceptions. Unfortunately, tachyons were never proven to actually exist, therefore, for now, we can say it is impossible to travel faster than the speed of light.
Only for things that have mass. There are mass-less objects that aren't constrained by this rule.
 
  • #34
Not true. Massless objects cannot go faster than light either.
 
  • #35
I have better make a disclaimer: I am not a physicist. But I might be able to help you on comprehending why it is not possible to go any faster than c according to Einstein.

SR tells us that the faster you move, the more space contracts in the direction of your travel. Distances simply get shorter in front and behind you. When you reach the speed of light in vacuum the contraction of space in the direction you travel is absolute. There is no distance left. Everything in front of you and behind you in the entire universe is right where your are. So you arrive instantly. It is hard to see that it would be possible to reach somewhere any faster than instantly, isn't it?

- Henrik
 

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