Neutrinos faster than light challenge Einstein’s theory
Albert Einstein’s 1905 theory of relativity is one of the most fundamental pillars of physics — but now scientists say his conclusion that nothing can travel faster than light could be proven wrong.
The physics world is abuzz with news that a group of European physicists at CERN plans to announce on Friday that it has clocked a burst of subatomic particles known as neutrinos breaking the speed of light.
Scientists around the world said the discovery could force a rethink of fundamental theories of physics and of the nature of the universe — ironically, much the same way Einstein’s Special theory of Relativity did. But the findings would have to be independently confirmed.
According to the CERN team, neutrinos raced from a particle accelerator at CERN outside Geneva, where they were created, to a cavern underneath Gran Sasso in Italy, a distance of about 720km, about 60 nanoseconds faster than it would take a light beam. That amounts to a speed greater than light by about 0.0025%.
Even this would play havoc with longstanding notions of cause and effect. Einstein himself said if you could send a message faster than light, “You could send a telegram to the past.”According to the scientists, neutrinos raced from a particle accelerator at CERN outside geneva, where they were created, to a cavern underneath Gran Sasso in Italy, a distance of about 450 miles, about 60 nanoseconds faster than it would take a light beam. That amounts to a speed greater than light by about 0.0025% (2.5 parts in a hundred thousand).
Albert Einstein’s 1905 theory of relativity is one of the most fundamental pillars of physics — but now scientists say his conclusion that nothing can travel faster than light could be proven wrong.
The physics world is abuzz with news that a group of European physicists at CERN plans to announce on Friday that it has clocked a burst of subatomic particles known as neutrinos breaking the speed of light.
Scientists around the world said the discovery could force a rethink of fundamental theories of physics and of the nature of the universe — ironically, much the same way Einstein’s Special theory of Relativity did. But the findings would have to be independently confirmed.
According to the CERN team, neutrinos raced from a particle accelerator at CERN outside Geneva, where they were created, to a cavern underneath Gran Sasso in Italy, a distance of about 720km, about 60 nanoseconds faster than it would take a light beam. That amounts to a speed greater than light by about 0.0025%.
Even this would play havoc with longstanding notions of cause and effect. Einstein himself said if you could send a message faster than light, “You could send a telegram to the past.”
Even this small deviation would open up the possibility of time travel and play havoc with longstanding notions of cause and effect.
Alvaro de Rujula, a theorist at CERN, called the claim "flabbergasting". "If it is true, then we truly haven't understood anything about anything," he said, adding: "It looks too big to be true. The correct attitude is to ask oneself what went wrong."
But whatever be the conclusion if really the neutrinos could travel faster than light then maybe time has come for us to prepare for a dip in our past!!
Ina mathur
CSE-III year
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