German scientists break speed of light

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Originally Posted by Regorium

My understanding of quantum physics is that you only have a probability of existence, and that you don't actually exist.

Oh we exist alright.
The probability in quantum physics comes from the uncertainty principle which among other things says that there is a finite level of precision to which something can be measured, because measuing it will alter it.
Since we can't know the exact value of a certain quantity, we are foced to express it as a probability.

There are actually some really interesting experiments that can have some really quirky results becasue of this. Results like the same photon taking two different paths at the same time.

[evman150]

A physics forum discusses the paper, only a few posts so far though.

http://physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=180632

[T@T]

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.

One question? How in hell did the measure something going over 186k per second in a 3 foot space

[photon]

Stopwatches and very fast thumbs.

[Cowperson]

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

I, for one, welcome the opportunity to leave work just as I'm arriving.

Cowperson

[keratosis]

Didn't IBM scientists slow down light a little while back?
Ah the wonders of quantum physics.

[Dan02]

Originally Posted by keratosis

Didn't IBM scientists slow down light a little while back?
Ah the wonders of quantum physics.

Light is slowed down all the time in our regular day to day lives with nothing to do with quantum physics. Google refraction.

[Flames0910]

the slowing down at speed of light leads can also be called the twin paradox, which as a twin, i find really cool
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin_paradox

basically if you put a twin on a space shuttle near the speed of light and leave the other on earth, the one on the space shuttle will come back and find his brother to be an old man

[FlamesPuck12]

Originally Posted by albertGQ

So if we can go faster then the speed of light, does that mean time travelling is now a possibility?

Only if we can go faster than speed of time

[Hemi-Cuda]

i think we've forgotten the most important aspect of this discovery, and that's finally being able to reach Ludicrous Speed



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HB7tc9pVvYg&v2

[Hack&Lube]

Again, all our fundamental modern knowledge of physics is very much grounded in the laws of special relativity. It's basically a universal consensus amongst top scientists that special relativity holds that it would take more energy than in the universe to accelerate something beyond the speed of light on a macro level. Yes there are many things in the universe that can probably break special relativity, like things on the quantum scale or things like black holes or strings (if they exist). Techncially, special relativity says that you can't accelerate something to 100% of the speed of light but particles already at that state can and do exist. This is a stark contrast with breaking the sound barrier which had been observed and done easily every time somebody cracked a whip or shot a rifle. Breaking the speed of sound has never been limited by physics nor said to be impossible.

[HOZ]

Ummmmm...Maxwell's Laws...Light travels at the speed of light depending on the medium it is in.

Eureka Alert!

Steinberg explains Nimtz and Stahlhofen's observations by way of analogy with a 20-car bullet train departing Chicago for New York. The stopwatch starts when the centre of the train leaves the station, but the train leaves cars behind at each stop. So when the train arrives in New York, now comprising only two cars, its centre has moved ahead, although the train itself hasn't exceeded its reported speed
.

[Flashpoint]

Just tell the Germans "We need warp drive in 60 seconds or we're all dead".

It worked for Scotty.

[photon]

Interesting summary from ArsTechnica

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post...-think-so.html

[OilKiller]

Wow...

I'm just a simple programmer. This thread hurts my brain.

[Metro Gnome]

A blog discussing how this probably isn't much of a "breakthrough":

http://motls.blogspot.com/2007/08/bb...-two-more.html

[Hack&Lube]

So basically as everybody rightly assumed. Debunked in so far as shoddy news outlet reporting