Boffins break the speed of light
Process doesn't break Einstein's theories
Iain Thomson,
vnunet.com 06 Mar 2007
Scientists at
NEC have managed to get a light beam to exceed the speed of light, something once thought to be an unbreakable universal constant.
In the experiment a beam of light was passed through a specially prepared caesium atomic chamber. The beam of light arrived at the far end 62 nanoseconds sooner than would be expected under normal conditions.
"Our experiment is not at odds with
Einstein's special relativity, but it does show that the generally held misconception that nothing can move faster than the speed of light is wrong," the laboratory reported.
"The statement only applies to objects with a rest mass. Light can be viewed as waves and has no mass. Therefore, it is not limited by its speed inside a vacuum."
The special chamber was cooled to as close possible to absolute zero
Combined with the caesium, this "rephased" the light waves
taking them beyond 186,000 miles per sec.
Note:Message retrieved from Net.
