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Light so Fast it Travels Backward

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the there-and-back-again dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Slowing down light used to be considered a neat trick for physics wonks. But researchers in New York now say they've pushed light into reverse. And as if to defy common sense, the backward-moving light travels faster than light." While there's not much use to come of it yet, it will be interesting if Einstein himself is proved wrong.

15 of 415 comments (clear)

  1. Slashdot is like Charlie Brown by DrJimbo · · Score: 4, Funny
    Slashdot ==> Charlie Brown

    Stupid Science Stories ==> Lucy & the football

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    We don't see the world as it is, we see it as we are.
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    1. Re:Slashdot is like Charlie Brown by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      And... Linus ==> Linus

      AARRGGH!!

    2. Re:Slashdot is like Charlie Brown by marshall_j · · Score: 4, Funny

      not true. i find slashdot funny on occasions.. :P

  2. Reverse? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    .gnola evoM .ereh ees ot uoy rof gnihtoN

  3. /Obvious by ThomK · · Score: 5, Funny

    I've done this too, it's called 'a mirror'.

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    TK

  4. Darkness quicker than light! by visgoth · · Score: 5, Funny

    So, basically, what scientists have shown is that reverse light (darkness) is faster than light!

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    My patience is infinite, my time is not.
    1. Re:Darkness quicker than light! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      So Vader was right. You don't KNOW the POWER of the dark side!

      I wonder, could this be used to make an unlightbulb? I've always wanted one of those. Too bright in the room? Don't walk over to pull the curtains, just switch on the unlight and voila, light just gets sucked into it and darkness speads into every corner of the room. Even better you get paid by the grid for the electricity you generate. Goodbye suncream, I've got my unlight with me, no need for trees to make shadows just hang it up and relax back in the shade. Imagine the tricks you could play on people with a 3000W unspotlight! Mwaahahaha. Who said science was boring?

  5. Faster than light! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Last Post

  6. what if you change your mind? by HyperTiger · · Score: 5, Funny

    Well, the article says the light comes out the other end before the putting-in end has light going in, so that it goes backwards through the fiber (from the end it came out of, towards the end it came into).

    What if you are about to put the photon in, and it comes out of the fiber at the other end, but you change your mind and don't put it into the going in end?

  7. FP! by Digital+Vomit · · Score: 4, Funny

    I can't wait to harness this technology. I'll be able to make First Posts without actually having to be the first poster. I will rule Slashdot!!!

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    Modern copyright is theft of culture from everyone and it retards the progress of the useful arts and sciences.
  8. Dupe by mattOzan · · Score: 5, Funny

    The first story was rushed out so fast it hasn't gotten here yet.

  9. Dupe! by geekoid · · Score: 5, Funny

    This was posted next week.

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    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  10. Will be fixed in the next upgrade by Rakshasa+Taisab · · Score: 4, Funny

    This does not disprove Einstein's theory, it only exposes a flaw in the implementation. For some reason the idiot who implemented it didn't use a large enough data-type to store c, causing it to overflow in certain situations.

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    - These characters were randomly selected.
  11. previously termed 'Reflection' by Falcon040 · · Score: 4, Funny

    " But researchers in New York now say they've pushed light into reverse. "

    Ah, when I were a lad, back in the days before this backwards superluminal light was deeply researched it was known more commonly as reflection.

  12. Re:Two photons travelling in opposite directions by DarkProphet · · Score: 4, Funny

    ;-)

    If I had mod points, I'd be unsure whether to mod this up +1 Informative or +1 Funny.

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