Well, maybe... Watch the anti-science crowd make hay manure out of this one and say, "See! Science doesn't know everything!"

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44629271/ns/technology_and_science-science/#.TnudB0ZD0rg

>GENEVA — Scientists at the world's largest physics lab say they have clocked subatomic particles traveling faster than light, a feat that — if true — would break a fundamental pillar of science.

>The readings have so astounded researchers that they are asking others to independently verify the measurements before claiming an actual discovery.

I congratulate the scientists on their cautionary approach with this one...

I did some math on this, and it looks like the measurement comes out to 0.0025% faster than the speed of light. That is, these particles traveled at 299,799.5 km/s vs. 299,792.5 that we know of as the speed of light.

Once one sub-atomic particle of an entangled pair is measured the other particle no matter the distance also takes on a definite state. This appears simultaneosly and is faster than light. BTW according to my TBM dad this is how god can communicate over vast distanced- ugh!

Distance = rate x time

Quantum entanglement is difficult to grasp because it doesn't seem to fit in the classical model.

I don't know if it's accurate to say that quantum entanglement means "faster than light" because distance doesn't enter into the equation at all. Something else is going on.

And someone with a more experience in quantum mechanics might be able to explain it much better.

It is something that is still being researched to be fully understood.

since quatum mechanics and Einstein disagree with each other, faster than light isn't a useful statement?

PS, I'm a mere history major, so go easy on me;)

Because quantum entanglement is a phenomena that deals with particles without any kind of speed or distance involved. It's more about spin properties etc. It's more dealing with "data" than "movement."

But particles can travel at very high speeds.

Photons, particles of light, are usually traveling the fastest at close to the speed of light.

Furthermore, E=mc^2 describes relationships between relativity and quantum mechanics in some circumstances.

So, if this faster than light IS true, then there are a lot of implications about stuff that physics needs to revisit.

I read The Elegant Universe after it was reccommended here. So I sort understand what is going on. Looks like I need to work on quantum entanglement.

I love RfM

Old news. Federation starships have been travelling faster than the speed of light for years.

Misfit Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Old news. Federation starships have been
> travelling faster than the speed of light for
> years.


All ahead, Warp Factor 8!!!

a Boyd K. Packer sex act.

Sounds interesting, tell me more.

I thought it was a barrier of sorts. Things that travel slower than light can never exceed light speed, and things that travel faster can never travel slower than light. I haven't read anything on it in a while so I may be wrong.

I'll be really interested in this. Thanks for the post!

Because some big ideas about how the universe works hit dead ends because of the assumption that nothing moves faster than light. Very, very, cool.

hence the barrier broken.... i think....:)
lots of those querky particles in the "Zoo"...the particle zoo!!!

just sayin....and i aint sayin i am right either!! :)
may....

Scientists have asked for independent verification.

Someone else must see if they can replicate the results. And that's exactly how the process is supposed to work.

This doesn't happen with the hoaxes like Cold Fusion.

But I thought I read somewhere that something (in theory) could travel faster than the speed of light if it always had. It's the speed of light that can't be crossed. Those things slower can't ever go faster, and those faster can't cross the barrier and go slower.

My Titleist pro v1 has been travelling faster than the speed of light for years.

OOH!!! :)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/22/2011 08:30PM by bignevermo.

Faster-than-light particles would break a lot of physics. For example, FTL comes hand in hand with non-causality, i.e. time travel.

These kinds of measurements are tricky and need incredible precision. Systematic errors are common in such cases.

Note that quantum entanglement doesn't give you FTL commuication: you can't use it to send information any faster than c. One interpretation of quantum entanglement is that the universe (but not you) can do FTL communication. A better interpretation is that the universe is fixed and no communication is necessary at all.

CZ (pretend physicist)

SL Cabbie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> >GENEVA — Scientists at the world's largest
> physics lab say they have clocked subatomic
> particles traveling faster than light, a feat that
> — if true — would break a fundamental pillar
> of science.
>
> >The readings have so astounded researchers that
> they are asking others to independently verify the
> measurements before claiming an actual discovery.


If I may asked, how *does* one "clock" a subatomic particle? In other words, are the United States and Japan capable of testing CERNS's results?

there are MANY particle colliders in the US much less the world...Berkely has one, cornell...yada yada yada!

You mean this thing:

http://www.fnal.gov/pub/tevatron/

They're shutting down the tevatron on Sept. 30th.


But since there are many that can test CERN's "clocking", when is one expected?

Human,

This is where my education definitely stops. But I will search for an answer because it is fascinating.

This is the high level explanation.

The electromagnets push the particle like a surfer on a wave heading towards a brick wall.

If you know the energy you put into the particle, you know how the particle will smash against the "wall." You measure the "debris" that comes off the wall, you can calculate the speed.

However! Because you're dealing with particles, electromagnets, and radiation all with extremely sensitive materials, and quantum mechanics equations to get the speed, a lot can go wrong.

That's why it's extremely important to get verification.

Poking around the net, this might be hard to verify right away because they were dealing with neutrinos. And that's some of the newest stuff getting played with right now. Certain colliders may not even be able to deal with the same stuff.