Would FTL radiation from dark matter violate relativity?

1 reply · 1K views · last reply
Ontophobe
Messages
60
Reaction score
1
What would be the ramifications of discovering that a) dark matter radiates something non-electromagnetic, and that b) this radiation always travels at a constant velocity according to all inertial reference frames, but c) this constant velocity is equal to, say, c times pi?
 

Discussion

Ontophobe said:
What would be the ramifications of discovering that a) dark matter radiates something non-electromagnetic, and that b) this radiation always travels at a constant velocity according to all inertial reference frames, but c) this constant velocity is equal to, say, c times pi?

If "discovering" just means somebody announces that they think they have measured something like this, the most likely outcome is that they will end up being wrong--that it is a measurement error, not an actual violation of what we currently think are the laws of physics.

If we stipulate that the discovery has been confirmed and reconfirmed enough times that it is actually accepted as valid, then we would have to completely rework our theories of physics.

Of course the same would be true of any number of hypothetical "discoveries". But actual discoveries of this kind are extremely rare.