More WARP speed Scotty....

[hhott71]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2007/08/16/scispeed116.xml

'We have broken speed of light'

By Nic Fleming, Science Correspondent
Last Updated: 12:01am BST 16/08/2007



A pair of German physicists claim to have broken the speed of light - an achievement that would undermine our entire understanding of space and time.

According to Einstein's special theory of relativity, it would require an infinite amount of energy to propel an object at more than 186,000 miles per second.

However, Dr Gunter Nimtz and Dr Alfons Stahlhofen, of the University of Koblenz, say they may have breached a key tenet of that theory.

The pair say they have conducted an experiment in which microwave photons - energetic packets of light - travelled "instantaneously" between a pair of prisms that had been moved up to 3ft apart.

Being able to travel faster than the speed of light would lead to a wide variety of bizarre consequences.

For instance, an astronaut moving faster than it would theoretically arrive at a destination before leaving.

The scientists were investigating a phenomenon called quantum tunnelling, which allows sub-atomic particles to break apparently unbreakable laws.

Dr Nimtz told New Scientist magazine: "For the time being, this is the only violation of special relativity that I know of."

 

[Valkyrie Katie]

Soooooooooooooo

If I go faster than the speed of light, and then come back sooner than the speed of light, then I could theoretically tell myself not to marry my husband, thus changing my future and none of my children would be born. But would I retain the memory of the life I had without the warning?

Such is the case. If it were possible, I would figure we would have come back already to roger up that they were on the right track.

 

[Twisted_Metal]

If I repeat their experiment with myself tomorrow and wind up in last year....
Will I have done it first?

<edit> Katie... You're scarin' me here.

What will headlights do at "Faster than the speed of light" speeds?

 

[Brian76RS]

"So what is the speed of dark?"
- Stephen Wright

 

[Valkyrie Katie]

Theoretically, you would not require the headlights. When approaching the speed of light, you go into red shift - thus eliminating the need of light, if you looked behind you, it would be blue shift and you would not see anything behind you.

Besides. Who cares what is behind you when you're going that fast?

 

[gordonquixote]

I'm a closet nerd and love reading on physics and especially theoretical physics. The new quantum stuff is a mind blower for sure.

With regards to speed/time I have a book where multiple atomic clocks were zero'd and some were placed on the ground (stationary) and some were put on jetliners. Over a period of time, the atomic clocks on the jetliners all were slower than the ones on the ground..... Pretty cool I think.

I would like to see more backup or at least a repeat experiment with the same results. If my car progress moved at the speed of light I would still have this pile of new parts in my spare room....

 

[JJFarmer]

Besides. Who cares what is behind you when you're going that fast?

I've thought that several times but the cops always tell me different when I finally looked back.

I really get into this stuff too. Thought about swapping over to Physics in college but I'd end up working on nuclear stuff over at Oak Ridge.

 

[Brian76RS]

Theoretically, you would not require the headlights. When approaching the speed of light, you go into red shift - thus eliminating the need of light, if you looked behind you, it would be blue shift and you would not see anything behind you.

Besides. Who cares what is behind you when you're going that fast?

Eventually you go plaid!!!

 

[rogerh]

Soooooooooooooo

If it were possible, I would figure we would have come back already to roger up that they were on the right track.

Hmmm, I resemble that statement.

To do any of this, you would need 1.21 jigawatts for the flux capacitor.

 

[BigAls87Z28]

Soooooooooooooo

If I go faster than the speed of light, and then come back sooner than the speed of light, then I could theoretically tell myself not to marry my husband, thus changing my future and none of my children would be born. But would I retain the memory of the life I had without the warning?

Such is the case. If it were possible, I would figure we would have come back already to roger up that they were on the right track.

You would retain it as it is burned into your brain. The images and such would still be there, but if you were to arrive back at current time, your current you would not remember it.
Question is...would you remember seeing yourself back in time?