Recently, researchers from Poland and Singapore have proposed a new theoretical light system that does not contradict Einstein’s theory of special relativity.
Nothing can travel faster than light. This is a fundamental rule in Einstein’s theory of special relativity. The faster something moves, the closer the scenario is to a time freeze.
Moving faster leads to problems with reversing time, complicating concepts of causality.
However, researchers from the University of Warsaw (Poland) and the National University of Singapore have now pushed the boundaries of relativity to present a system that does not conflict with existing physical theories and could even pave the way for new theories, according to Sciencealert.
The new research challenges the three-dimensional space and one-dimensional time theory we are all familiar with. (Photo: Sciencealert).
New Research
The proposed idea is an “extension of special relativity” that combines three dimensions of time with a single dimension of space (“1+3 space-time”). This contradicts the familiar three-dimensional space and one-dimensional time theory.
Instead of creating any major logical contradictions, the new research adds evidence supporting the idea that objects can move faster than light without completely violating existing physical laws.
“There is no fundamental reason explaining why observers of motion relating to physical systems (described with speeds greater than the speed of light) would not be affected by it,” said physicist Andrei Dragan from the University of Warsaw in Poland.
This new research builds on previous work from several researchers who suggested that superluminal viewpoints could help link quantum mechanics with the mechanics of special relativity – two branches of physics that have been difficult to reconcile into a comprehensive theory that describes gravity in the same way as we interpret other forces.
Particles can no longer be modeled as point-like objects within this framework – similar to how we can in the 3D perspective of the ordinary universe (outside of time).
Instead, to understand what observers can see and how a superluminal particle might operate, the researchers turned to types of field theories that underpin quantum physics.
Based on this new model, superluminal objects would resemble a particle expanding like a bubble in space – similar to a wave in a field. Conversely, a high-speed object would experience different time milestones.
Nevertheless, the speed of light in a vacuum will remain constant even for observers moving faster than it, preserving one of Einstein’s fundamental principles – a principle that was previously only considered for observers moving slower than the speed of light.
“This new definition preserves Einstein’s postulate of the invariance of the speed of light in a vacuum, even for superluminal observers. Therefore, our extended special relativity does not seem to be a far-fetched idea,” physicist Andrei Dragan stated.
The new research answers many questions but also raises new ones. (Photo: Independent).
Many Questions Arise
However, the researchers acknowledge that transitioning to the 1+3 space-time model will raise some new questions while answering others. They suggest that the theory of special relativity needs to be expanded to incorporate faster-than-light reference frames.
This might involve borrowing from quantum field theory, then integrating concepts from special relativity, quantum mechanics, and classical field theory (aimed at predicting how physical fields interact with each other).
If physicists are correct, all particles in the universe would exhibit unusual properties in the extended theory of special relativity.
One of the questions raised by the research is whether we can observe this extended behavior. However, answering this will take a long time and require more scientists.
“The discovery of a new fundamental particle purely through experimentation is feasible for a large research group using the latest experimental techniques. Such an achievement is worthy of a Nobel Prize. However, we hope to apply our results to gain a better understanding of spontaneous symmetry breaking phenomena, related to the mass of the Higgs boson and particles in the Standard Model, especially in the early universe,” said physicist Krzysztof Turzyński from the University of Warsaw (Poland).
