Questions tagged [faster-than-light]
"Faster-than-light", also known as superluminal velocities, refers to any sort of travel at a speed greater than the speed of light. Prohibited in mainstream physics due to the Special theory of relativity.
2
votes
4answers
102 views
Would possibility of instant communication break physics? [duplicate]
I recently read a sci-fi book, where some (very few) people can communicate telepathically, which happens to be instantaneous.
So, every spaceship has a crew member who telepathically communicates ...
1
vote
1answer
94 views
Can something travel faster than the speed of light? [duplicate]
I understand this is a very complicated question to answer as no one really knows. However if gravity exerts an infinite force in the singularity of a black hole, then can't it travel faster than the ...
-2
votes
1answer
50 views
Quantum Entanglement and Faster than light Communication
Suppose, Alice has a Billion of photons in random states, while Bob has their entangled pairs. Suppose, Alice can measure the spin of the photons in X axis, while Bob can measure their spin in an axis ...
-2
votes
0answers
28 views
Using Radial Motion to reach Superluminal Speeds [duplicate]
Ok so, if I had a pole that was 80,000 kilometers long and swung it around in a circle over 1 second in a vacuum, the circumference of that circle would be over 300,000,000 meters, and that would have ...
0
votes
2answers
68 views
Would close to light speed travel be possible if all atoms in the system were instantly given “forward motion”?
I have heard people say that based on our current understanding and ideas for possible/current technology no person would ever be able to even travel at a solid (70-80%) the speed of light because ...
3
votes
1answer
87 views
Illusion that $v > c$?
I am currently studying length contraction in special relativity (and having the hardest time getting the harder exercises in my book right) and there is the following exercise in my book is driving ...
0
votes
2answers
41 views
Speed of at expansion at the start of the big bang [duplicate]
If I understand the basics of the big bang correctly it starts with a very small dense point. At the moment of the big bang, less then microseconds after, the universe is already the size of our solar ...
-2
votes
0answers
36 views
Why can't we communicate with velocity greater than light though entanglement of particles is a reality? [duplicate]
Suppose we have two entangled particles-one electron and one proton-both produced by radioactivity. Now suppose they are separately caged in two boxes in which they can't interact with any other ...
0
votes
1answer
65 views
Would an observer going faster than the speed of light in a vacuum be able to observe photons that they emit? [closed]
If I could exceed the speed of light in a vacuum, would I be able to see photons that I previously emitted?
Would this be theoretically possible?
0
votes
1answer
73 views
Can Quantum Entangled particles convey information faster than speed of light? [duplicate]
Can Quantum Entangled particles convey information faster than speed of light. If they don't what was wrong with John Bells experiment?
2
votes
2answers
108 views
Does light travel faster in between Casimir plates?
Speed of light is in general $c/n$ where $n$ is a refractive index. But for example introducing two parallel plates with very small spatial separation will perturb the energy density of vacuum ...
-4
votes
2answers
168 views
Why do physicists say information can't travel faster than light speed?
I often hear in physics videos light speed is the ultimate speedlimit two parts of the universe can communicate at, or even that speed of light is actual speed of causality.
Where does that notion ...
-3
votes
1answer
34 views
Aging while traveling faster than speed of light? [closed]
theoretically, if organic matter was able to travel faster than the speed of light, without becoming "pure energy", and since theoretically traveling faster then the speed of light would travel ...
49
votes
2answers
7k views
Why didn't Lorentz conclude that no object can go faster than light?
Based on Lorentz factor $\gamma = \frac{1}{\sqrt {1-\frac{v^2}{c^2}}}$ it is easy to see $v < c$ since otherwise $\gamma$ would be either undefined or a complex number, which is non-physical. Also, ...
0
votes
0answers
23 views
How Can the Universe Be Bigger Than It is Old? [duplicate]
My question is this: If we can look back to roughly 500m years after the big bang and have estimated the age of the universe at 13.7B years, why is the galaxy we are looking at not a part of the non-...
1
vote
1answer
64 views
Traveling to another galaxy impossible for ever?
If galaxies are moving apart from each other faster than the speed of light, does that mean that it's impossible to travel to another galaxy, regardless of what technology get discovered? Because you ...
0
votes
1answer
72 views
Can light in a medium travel faster than speed of light $c$ in vacuum?
Refractive index of medium $m$, $n_m$, is given by $$n_m = \sqrt{\mu_r\epsilon_r}$$where $\mu_r$ and $\epsilon_r$ are permittivity and permeability of the medium respectively.
And, velocity of light ...
1
vote
3answers
255 views
What is Cherenkov radiation? [duplicate]
What is Cherenkov radiation? I came across this concept when I was learning SR.
Why can't particles moving at speed of excess of speed of light in the medium. Why it does not violate the limitation ...
7
votes
6answers
451 views
So is quantum entanglement actually FTL “communication” or is it mundane pre-determination?
I have to say right off the bat, I'm a little frustrated that there seem to be very contradictory answers about this, at least to a layman like me. If two particles are entangled and you separate them ...
0
votes
1answer
73 views
Significance of the LIGO experiment with respect to length contraction
it might be best to first detail my (admittedly limited) understanding of the LIGO experiment. a beam of light is split along two 4Km evacuated pipes then reflected back where their interference ...
24
votes
10answers
6k views
Does gravity sometimes get transmitted faster than the speed of light?
Consider Earth moving around the Sun. Is the force of gravity exerted by Earth onto the Sun directed towards the point where Earth is "right now", or towards the point where Earth was 8 minutes ago (...
0
votes
2answers
45 views
Turning on headlights near light speed [duplicate]
If i turn headlights on in a car at v = 0.99*c, will the headlight speed be 0.01*c? I know speed of light is always the same but it really confuses me? My question is, does space contract so much at ...
-1
votes
1answer
44 views
speed of freezing vs. moving [closed]
An idea came to my mind and like to discuss it.
We know that out there in the space the absolute zero (aka. -273 C) is almost reached where all the particles and atoms would freeze up and stop giving ...
1
vote
1answer
93 views
Are tachyons time travelers?
If tachyons are faster than light, that means they have passed a certain point before anyone or anything can “see” them. Theories have mentioned that if anything can go faster than light, then it can ...
-4
votes
1answer
37 views
Looking back in past [closed]
Can faster than light communication give us the ability to see in the past, that is to say, if we can imagine a ultra huge highly advance telescope 60 light minutes away from earth and we want to look ...
1
vote
1answer
147 views
Observing supraluminally receding galaxies – is the “swimmer against variable current” analogy valid? [closed]
Davis and Lineweaver in Superluminal Recession Velocities state that “galaxies with distances greater than $D=c/H$ are receding from us with velocities greater than the speed of light and superluminal ...
0
votes
1answer
68 views
Delayed choice quantum eraser without randomization?
My understanding of delayed choice quantum eraser experiments roughly corresponds to the Wikipedia article about them, so please forgive if this question is stupid.
In all delayed choice experiments ...
1
vote
0answers
53 views
Apparent FTL speeds seen by observer
MY guestion is if I was in a ship orbiting a black hole (not very close to the event horizon) I am orbiting pretty far and I am experiencing that my time is slowing down realitive to people on earth. ...
0
votes
1answer
69 views
Why do two moving inertial frames of reference atribute the same velocity to each other?
In both relativity and Newtonian mechanics, it is a self-evident axiom according to which two inertial observers who move relative to each other measure the same velocity of, say, $v$. I want to know ...
0
votes
1answer
74 views
Gear Theory — Entanglement — Spooky action at a distance explained? [duplicate]
Nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. Not even an electrical signal. Entanglement seems to violate this. But, does it?
Imagine 100 gears lined up in sequence all the way across a ...
3
votes
1answer
67 views
Faster than light speed transfer of certain event
I am CS/Math person I am not quite sure what it means in physics
information cannot be transferred faster than light (FTL). I tried to understand the proof of no transfer theorem but I lacked the ...
0
votes
0answers
27 views
How big is the universe 1 second after the Big Bang? [duplicate]
In his book Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, Neil de Grass Tyson starts of with the Big Bang and narrates on what (probably) happened within the first moments of our universe. He further states (p. ...
-2
votes
1answer
76 views
How can I go and also not go faster than light?
Suppose I am in a spaceship. In this spaceship there is also my friend. So my friend and my relative velocity is zero. So no matter how fast my ship goes my friend's velocity relative to me is zero($0$...
1
vote
0answers
33 views
Is the speed of light greater if traveling at an initial velocity greater than zero? [duplicate]
I'm reading "a brief history of time" and he states "the speed of light should be the same whatever the speed of the source, and this has been confirmed," (24). Why is it not increased if it has an ...
5
votes
7answers
208 views
Relative velocity greater than speed of light
Is it possible a relative velocity between 2 objects to be greater than the speed of light?
I know that it is impossible to reach the speed of light considering us to be immobile but is this ...
0
votes
1answer
37 views
Trying to understand velocity addition and time dilation [duplicate]
I'm familiar with Einstein's formulae $V=\frac{u+v}{1+ \frac{uv}{c^2}}$ and $\Delta t'=\frac{\Delta t}{\sqrt{1-\frac{v^2}{c^2}}}$, the former being velocity addition and the latter being time dilation....
-3
votes
2answers
91 views
Using entanglement for communication based on the double slit experiment [duplicate]
When we perform a double slit experiment we receive interference pattern.
when we measure in a specific slit the exact location of the photon (or electron) the interference pattern disappears and we ...
-4
votes
4answers
134 views
Exceeding the speed of light [closed]
I understand that the speed of light c is derived from the self-interaction between elections/photons, and is thus the maximum speed of anything composed of electrons/photons.
Suppose that there is a ...
8
votes
4answers
2k views
No FTL information implies no FTL travel?
The general consensus in the scientific community is that it is impossible to transmit information faster than light.
There is also speculation that it might be possible to open wormholes or travel ...
-1
votes
1answer
72 views
Why does my thought experiment involving entanglement appear to violate the speed of light?
I have a thought experiment that "seems" to allow messages passed at faster than the speed of light. Since that is impossible I'd like to learn what is wrong with my experiment/reasoning. Start with ...
1
vote
1answer
224 views
What if a spaceship going half the speed of light turned on its headlights in both directions?
If the spaceship, travelling at c/2 were to turn on only its forward facing headlights, then after one second (relative to us, the stationary external observers) we would see that the ship has moved ...
2
votes
2answers
88 views
How do we know that light cannot travel faster than it does?
We assume the speed of light in vacuum is its maximum speed but can we not assume that it could be faster, or slower?
1
vote
2answers
98 views
Does basic QM allow for superluminal “particle movement” during wavefunction collapse?
Can particles move superluminally away from their "expected values" using basic quantum theory?
Here's an example: The eigenstates of a harmonic oscillator are defined from $(-\infty, \infty)$. This ...
1
vote
6answers
168 views
Thought experiment - faster than speed of light travel [closed]
I came up with a thought experiment and it has been on my mind for quite some time now. Would like to hear the thoughts of others as my wife has no clue what I'm talking about.
Given two points of ...
-1
votes
2answers
45 views
Can two electron moving in opposite direction move faster than light? [duplicate]
Suppose we are moving two electrons in opposite direction both having a speed of 1.6e8 meter per sec.When they will cross each other then their relative velocity will be 3.2e8 ms_1.Isn't it faster ...
0
votes
1answer
53 views
Can Information created by entangled particles be received faster than light by an observer?
I am the captain of a spaceship at the moon of Tellus, and my colleague Trillian is the captain of another spaceship at Proxima Centauri. I need to deliver a package to Trillian, who is going to meet ...
7
votes
2answers
678 views
Is this news article about quantum radar legit? [duplicate]
From https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/quantum-radar-stealth-aircraft/
In principle, a quantum radar functions like a regular radar — only
that instead of sending out a single beam of ...
0
votes
3answers
97 views
Velocity of massless particles
Due to the equation $E = \frac12{mv}^2$, can a massless particle travel at an infinite speed in a vacuum (as its mass would be $0$ so its energy would also be $0$)?
0
votes
0answers
46 views
How does measurement-affected spin of an entangled particle not communicate information ftl?
Am I not understanding this video correctly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tafGL02EUOA&t=5m20s
Since up/down or left/right orientation of the particle depends on the physicist's choice at ...
26
votes
10answers
9k views
How do we know quantum entanglement works no matter the distance?
It is said quantum entanglement works regardless of distance. 2 particles can be entangled and information is shared instantaneously, even if they are lightyears away from each other.
But how do we ...
