<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" =
http-equiv=Content-Type>
<META content="MSHTML 5.00.2614.3500" name=GENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Quite a while back -- about 2 years ago =
-- this
newsclip was circulated on philos-l. Has anyone heard anything =
more about
this?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Nathan</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>> <BR>> June 4 2000 UNITED STATES<BR>> <BR>> Eureka! =
Scientists
break speed of light<BR>> <BR>> Jonathan Leake, Science =
Editor<BR>>
<BR>> SCIENTISTS claim they have broken the ultimate speed barrier: =
the speed
of<BR>> light.<BR>> <BR>> In research carried out in the United =
States,
particle physicists have<BR>> shown<BR>> that light pulses can be
accelerated to up to 300 times their normal<BR>> velocity of 186,000 =
miles
per second.<BR>> <BR>> The implications, like the speed, are
mind-boggling. On one interpretation<BR>> it means that light will =
arrive at
its destination almost before it has<BR>> started its journey. In =
effect, it
is leaping forward in time.<BR>> <BR>> Exact details of the =
findings
remain confidential because they have been<BR>> submitted to Nature, =
the
international scientific journal, for review<BR>> prior<BR>> to =
possible
publication.<BR>> <BR>> The work was carried out by Dr Lijun Wang, =
of the
NEC research institute<BR>> in<BR>> Princeton, who transmitted a =
pulse of
light towards a chamber filled with<BR>> specially treated caesium
gas.<BR>> <BR>> Before the pulse had fully entered the chamber it =
had gone
right through<BR>> it<BR>> and travelled a further 60ft across the =
laboratory. In effect it existed<BR>> in<BR>> two places at once, =
a
phenomenon that Wang explains by saying it travelled<BR>> 300 times =
faster
than light.<BR>> <BR>> The research is already causing controversy =
among
physicists. What bothers<BR>> them is that if light could travel =
forward in
time it could carry<BR>> information. This would breach one of the =
basic
principles in physics -<BR>> causality, which says that a cause must =
come
before an effect. It would<BR>> also<BR>> shatter Einstein's =
theory of
relativity since it depends in part on the<BR>> speed of light being
unbreachable.<BR>> <BR>> This weekend Wang said he could not give =
details
but confirmed: "Our light<BR>> pulses did indeed travel faster than =
the
accepted speed of light. I hope<BR>> it<BR>> will give us a much =
better
understanding of the nature of light and how it<BR>> =
behaves."<BR>>
<BR>> Dr Raymond Chiao, professor of physics at the University of =
California
at<BR>> Berkeley, who is familiar with Wang's work, said he was =
impressedby
the<BR>> findings. "This is a fascinating experiment," he =
said.<BR>>
<BR>> In Italy, another group of physicists has also succeeded in =
breaking
the<BR>> light speed barrier. In a newly published paper, physicists =
at the
Italian<BR>> National Research Council described how they propagated
microwaves at 25%<BR>> above normal light speed. The group speculates =
that it
could be possible<BR>> to<BR>> transmit information faster than
light.<BR>> <BR>> Dr Guenter Nimtz, of Cologne University, an =
expert in
the field, agrees.<BR>> He<BR>> believes that information can be =
sent
faster than light and last week gave<BR>> a<BR>> paper describing =
how it
could be done to a conference in Edinburgh. He<BR>> believes, =
however, that
this will not breach the principle of causality<BR>> because the time =
taken
to interpret the signal would fritter away all the<BR>> =
savings.<BR>>
<BR>> "The most likely application for this is not in time travel but =
in<BR>> speeding<BR>> up the way signals move through computer =
circuits,"
he said.<BR>> <BR>> Wang's experiment is the latest and possibly =
the most
important evidence<BR>> that the physical world may not operate =
according to
any of the accepted<BR>> conventions.<BR>> <BR>> In the new =
world that
modern science is beginning to perceive, sub-atomic<BR>> particles =
can
apparently exist in two places at the same time - making no<BR>> =
distinction
between space and time.<BR>> <BR>> Separate experiments carried =
out by
Chiao illustrate this. He showed that<BR>> in<BR>> certain =
circumstances
photons - the particles of which light is made -<BR>> could<BR>>
apparently jump between two points separated by a barrier in what
appears<BR>> to<BR>> be zero time. The process, known as =
tunnelling, has
been used to make some<BR>> of the most sensitive electron
microscopes.<BR>> <BR>> The implications of Wang's experiments =
will arouse
fierce debate. Many<BR>> will<BR>> question whether his work can =
be
interpreted as proving that light can<BR>> exceed its normal speed -
suggesting that another mechanism may be at<BR>> work.<BR>> =
<BR>> Neil
Turok, professor of mathematical physics at Cambridge =
University,<BR>>
said<BR>> he awaited the details with interest, but added: "I doubt =
this will
change<BR>> o<BR>> ur view of the fundamental laws of =
physics."<BR>>
<BR>> Wang emphasises that his experiments are relevant only to light =
and
may<BR>> not<BR>> apply to other physical entities. But scientists =
are
beginning to accept<BR>> that man may eventually exploit some of =
these
characteristics for<BR>> inter-stellar space =
travel.<BR></DIV></BODY></HTML>