From what I've been able to gather, the people who were working on this a few years back largely just lost interest in it, as it didn't seem that likely, so the idea was never fully-developed. One of the main difficulties with this sort of model is that it is very difficult to produce reheating.Mr. Burns said:I was reading about the VSL theory as an alternative solution to inflation that solves the horizon problem. My question is, wouldn't special relativity still hold true, just to a different value of c in the early universe? As in, if we have a varying value of c, wouldn't it still hold true that mass would increase as it neared c?
Variable light speed refers to the concept that the speed of light can change depending on the medium it is traveling through. In a vacuum, the speed of light is constant at approximately 299,792,458 meters per second. However, in other mediums such as air or water, the speed of light can be slower.
Special relativity is a theory developed by Albert Einstein that explains how time and space are affected by the movement of objects at high speeds. The theory states that the speed of light is constant for all observers, regardless of their relative velocities. This means that the concept of variable light speed is crucial to understanding special relativity.
Yes, variable light speed can be observed in everyday life. For example, when light travels from air into water, it slows down and changes direction, which is why objects underwater appear distorted. Similarly, when light travels from air into a diamond, it slows down even more and creates the sparkling effect we see.
The constant speed of light in special relativity has significant implications for our understanding of the universe. It means that the laws of physics are the same for all observers, regardless of their relative velocities. This forms the basis of many fundamental principles, such as the equivalence of mass and energy (E=mc^2) and the concept of time dilation.
Special relativity tells us that time and space are not absolute, but are instead relative to the observer's frame of reference. This means that two observers may measure different lengths and durations of events depending on their relative velocities. It also explains phenomena such as the twin paradox, where one twin ages less than the other due to differences in their relative velocities.