Tachyons are faster than light

[snoopy]

After firecracker started his thread it got me thinking of all the different things that are allowed to go faster than the speed of light like Tachyons.

 

Tachyons are allowed to go faster than the speed of light and paradoxically if they lose energy they go faster and not slower if they lose all their energy they could theoretically achieve an infinite speed.

 

What does it mean to have infinite speed ? You would be able to cover an infinite amount of distance or journeys instantly. So you would basically be everywhere at all times or potentially everywhere at the same time.

 

also and this applies to normal tachyons not just those that are moving at infinite speed you cant detect them until they have left your tachyon detector assuming you knew how to build one. In the same way you cant hear a supersonic jet until it has passed your location.

 

If you do manage to build a Tachyon detector you could in theory build a communication device that could send messages to the past as long as they were using the same communication standard as you were or the same paradoxically if you did manage to build such a device you might have to wait 40 years before you started to use it to send messages to yourself in the past but the moment you switched it on you should get a message from your self from 40 years in the future probably saying something like `testing....testing` :)

 

After this the future can freely interfere with the past unravelling causality as we know it this is probably the ultimate reason why things dont travel faster than the speed of light. Tachyons are basically writing cheques their bums cant cash. :)

 

Anyone else know of things that can go faster than light ??

[jungjedi]

hey,take me to your leader snoopy.

Tachyon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[snoopy]

I didnt get it from wikipedia although it is an excellent reference guide

 

Also you didnt answer any of my questions like what does it mean to have infinite speed ??

[freeztar]

Infinite speed? That would imply infinite mass, to my knowledge.

I would then suppose the paradox that seemingly exists and imply that zero mass has infinite speed as well.

But this is intriguing when considering photons. For them it is mass=zero, momentum=c?

 

I am confused by this posted at the wiki link above:

A tachyon is constrained to the space-like portion of the energy-momentum graph. Therefore, it can never slow to light speed or below.

 

My question to this is what does the energy-momentum graph look like?

[zkid15]

wow...

everywhere at once...

think of the posiblilities...

what would happen if you went threw a black hole going faster than light?

or usin tachyons?

[snoopy]

Tachyons have an `imaginary` mass

that is in the sense of imaginary numbers `i`

On the energy - momentum graph

 

You draw a graph, with momentum (p) on the x-axis, and energy (E) on the y-axis. Then draw the "light cone", two lines with the equations E = +/- p. This divides our 1+1 dimensional space-time into two regions. Above and below are the "timelike" quadrants, and to the left and right are the "spacelike" quadrants.

[jungjedi]

Infinite speed? That would imply infinite mass, to my knowledge.

I would then suppose the paradox that seemingly exists and imply that zero mass has infinite speed as well.

But this is intriguing when considering photons. For them it is mass=zero, momentum=c?

 

I am confused by this posted at the wiki link above:

 

My question to this is what does the energy-momentum graph look like?

 

ide like to know that myself.good question

[freeztar]

Tachyons have an `imaginary` mass

that is in the sense of imaginary numbers `i`

On the energy - momentum graph

 

You draw a graph, with momentum (p) on the x-axis, and energy (E) on the y-axis. Then draw the "light cone", two lines with the equations E = +/- p. This divides our 1+1 dimensional space-time into two regions. Above and below are the "timelike" quadrants, and to the left and right are the "spacelike" quadrants.

 

Ok...I gave it a bunch of thought and then something occurred to me...

Your quote above suggests that high energy=high momentum. I'm fine with that, but it seems too linear. With the E=+/-p equation, it comes out looking like a cross between "+" and "/" (graphically).

 

This seems to suggest that Tachyons are extremely (anti) energetic.

Or in the case of infinite mass, Tachyons lose their energy along with their momentum?

[snoopy]

No not really Tachyons are a bit weird in that they are not luminal particles they are superluminal particles that are not allowed to go slower than c and have what is called imaginary mass.

 

If they gain energy they get ever closer to c without ever being able to gain enough energy to slow down enough to achieve c. In fact it would take an infinite amount of energy to get one to slow down to c. And supplying a tachyon with infinite energy would be impossible.

 

If they lose energy they get faster if they lost all their energy which is technically possible unlike supplying one with infinite energy. Then in that case if the Tachyon managed to lose all its energy it would achieve infinite speed.

 

The consensus is that because of this Tachyons cant interact with the rest of the universe or they would run the risk of losing all their energy.

 

But dont worry about it its just a bit of fun :)

[Jay-qu]

Tachyons are theoretical particles predicted by string theory, they arise mathematically from a certain type of bosonic string vibration. They have negative or 'imaginary' mass (mass squared is negative). Consequently like we are forever destined to travel <c tachyons can only travel >c.

 

But like I said, they are purely theoretical, there is no reason to believe that they exist in our universe.

[zkid15]

you know what i find amazing about humans???

 

we havent even acheved light speed but yet we still think farther into how we coud go faster lol even though its theoreticle its still thinking about it:)

all i know is that eather people are really crazy or we can do anything given the time...im more towards the second thing lol considering history

[freeztar]

you know what i find amazing about humans???

 

we havent even acheved light speed but yet we still think farther into how we coud go faster lol even though its theoreticle its still thinking about it:)

all i know is that eather people are really crazy or we can do anything given the time...im more towards the second thing lol considering history

I don't think we will ever travel anywhere close to the speed of light...ever.

I don't mean to sound negative, and I certainly don't intend to demean the power of will and innovation in the human spirit, but it just is not possible physically.

Einstein predicted that mass increases with velocity. An object traveling at the speed of light would become as massive as the universe. I wouldn't really call it travelling if you were everywhere at once. :shrug:

[zkid15]

lol true but how come light traveling is not as big as the universe...i think???

is it??? yea...theres light particles right??? so how come theyre not as big as the universe...remember im in 9th grade so i dont know as nearlly as much as you guys:P

[Tormod]

lol true but how come light traveling is not as big as the universe...i think???

 

I don't understand your question. What are you trying to ask?

[freeztar]

I think he means to ask "why are photons not so massive if they travel at c?".

The answer is because photons are special. :eek2:

But seriously, check the recent thread on this subject for more info.

[kalexia]

lol true but how come light traveling is not as big as the universe...i think???

is it??? yea...theres light particles right??? so how come theyre not as big as the universe...remember im in 9th grade so i dont know as nearlly as much as you guys:P

 

If light was as big as the Universe would that not imply that everything in the Universe would be bathed in light? I'm not sure. Light is so complex! Maybe it's something to do with the fact that light is a 'wave' like radio waves and such. So it doesn't actually have any significant mass, unlike us, so it can get away with travelling at such a high speed without becoming ultra massive.

[snoopy]

To Jay-qu.

 

Yes as I said at the top of my thread it was in reply to the firecracker thread `Nothing faster than light!`

It was just a bit of fun !!

 

Tachyons are just theoretical but are predicted by numerous theories so in my opinion are fair game.

Most things that are allowed in `relativity` seem to exist like `Black Holes` (einstein himself was not a believer in black holes but his theory allowed for it and eventually they were proved to exist)

so why not the humble `Tachyon`

 

why not Jay-qu thats all Im saying. Why not.

 

Peace out.