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German Physicists Claim Speed of Light Broken

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the don't-believe-your-optics dept.

Byzanthy writes "Two German physicists claim to have broken the speed of light by using 'microwave photons.' According to Einstein's special theory of relativity, it would require an infinite amount of energy to accelerate any object beyond the speed of light. However, Dr Gunter Nimtz and Dr Alfons Stahlhofen, of the University of Koblenz, say they did it by using a phenomenon known as quantum tunneling. The pair say they have conducted an experiment in which microwave photons — energetic packets of light — traveled 'instantaneously' between a pair of prisms that had been moved up to 3ft apart." New Scientist, however, is running an article that suggests Einstein can rest easy. Aephraim Steinberg, a quantum optics expert at the University of Toronto, explains that the German physicist's results aren't necessarily wrong, they are just being interpreted incorrectly.

35 of 429 comments (clear)

  1. The headline leaves only one question by DigitalReverend · · Score: 5, Funny

    What are they going to do to fix it?

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    1. Re:The headline leaves only one question by Shadow+Wrought · · Score: 4, Funny

      Since they are in front of Judge Schroedinger, they'll know whether or not they are guilty once their cell door is opened.

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    2. Re:The headline leaves only one question by WED+Fan · · Score: 4, Funny

      Nice, even my cat liked that one. How do I know? Simple observation.

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    3. Re:The headline leaves only one question by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      What are they going to do to fix it? They're going to issue a patch next Tuesday.
    4. Re:The headline leaves only one question by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      They're going to issue a patch next Tuesday. Don't you mean they'll do it last Tuesday?
    5. Re:The headline leaves only one question by nospmiS+remoH · · Score: 4, Funny

      Noted physicists Schrödinger and Heisenberg are driving around in a car, and Heisenberg goes "I think we just ran over a cat."

      "Is it dead?" asks Schrödinger.

      "I can't be certain", says Heisenberg.

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      !hoD
  2. 186,000 miles per second by gozar · · Score: 4, Funny

    186,000 miles per second, it's not just a good idea, it's the law.

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  3. Just won't do... by nbannerman · · Score: 5, Funny

    How am I supposed to welcome our new microwave-photon overlords if they've already arrived?

    1. Re:Just won't do... by varmittang · · Score: 5, Funny

      But they haven't left yet either....

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  4. How quaint by Verteiron · · Score: 3, Funny

    Information on how to break the light barrier has been around for ages.

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    1. Re:How quaint by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      I already did this tommorow.

  5. Great..... by segedunum · · Score: 5, Funny

    The time barrier's been broken, so where's that damn warp drive?

  6. *Grabs salt shaker* by TyFighter · · Score: 5, Funny

    I brought enough for everyone.

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  7. and the penalty for breaking this law? by aapold · · Score: 5, Funny

    You have to walk the plank.

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    "Waste not one watt!" - CZ
    1. Re:and the penalty for breaking this law? by SQLGuru · · Score: 5, Funny
      Good joke, poor execution.....

      You have to walk the planck. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planck's_constant

      Layne
  8. Informative by daskinil · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'm glad there was a post today to tell me the speed of light isn't broken. I need a reminder every once in a while.

  9. Re:Wrong about microwave photons by vigmeister · · Score: 2, Funny

    Since time travel is still an uncertain phenomenon, unless we scour the entire universe for Einstein, isn't he still in a state of both dead AND alive at the same time? Then again, Einstein was no cat.

    Cheers!

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  10. Next article from Germany by kannibul · · Score: 3, Funny

    We shall call this new Technology:

    Way to go Anywhere Really Phast

    Or WARP

  11. Ob. South Park reference by tomhudson · · Score: 2, Funny

    "Aephraim Steinberg, a quantum optics expert at the University of Toronto ..."

    Blame CANADA!

    From the press statement:

    The McKenzie Brothers explain Nimtz and Stahlhofen's observations by way of analogy with a 20-car train departing Chicago for New York with 100 cases of 24 Molsons Beer ("two-fours" in Kanuck-speak). The stopwatch starts when the centre of the train leaves the station, but the person holding the stopwatch drinks a case of 24 at each stop. So when the train arrives in New York, now comprising only two cases of beer, the person holding the stopwatch wakes up from his drunken stupor, doesn't remember a thing for the last 23 hours, can't find the stopwatch (he sold it to someone to stake him the last 2 cases) and now claims the trip was "instantaneous" although the train itself hasn't exceeded its reported speed.

    And there you have it - The McKenzie Brothers' explanation... Beer DOES affect relativity, in a relative sort of way. I guess.

  12. Re:Actually by Nilych · · Score: 5, Funny

    I liked Niels Bohr's response to Einstein's comment:

    "Einstein, stop telling God what to do."

  13. Re:First Post! by Mr.+Underbridge · · Score: 5, Funny

    then how does a photon, WHICH HAS VOLUME AND MASS, travel at the speed of light without having the same mass/energy as the whole of the universe?

    Well, you've proven one theory of mine - any postulate typed in uppercase is guaranteed to be incorrect. ;)

  14. Re:Wrong about microwave photons by Rogerborg · · Score: 5, Funny
    >Not only that, but [Einstein is] dead

    Only if you're within 52 light years of him.

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  15. It's because of Global Warming by mediis · · Score: 2, Funny

    They broke it because of Global Warming... the whole world is out of whack... we need a new science... w/ proven results... ...results that are quantifiable... solid... not subject to "misinterpretation" ... non of this crap that we've gotten so far... what has science given us already... geesh.

  16. C++ by 192939495969798999 · · Score: 5, Funny

    And lo, the greatest joke post title ever finally gets to be used!

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  17. Re:Every couple of years by Intron · · Score: 5, Funny

    Suppose we put Angelina Jolie on a rocket and send her to Mars. While there, they open the envelope. Angelina instantly becomes an Oscar winner. She doesn't know it because information will take several minutes to get there, but her state changes instantly.

    I use Ms. Jolie because she is frequently mentioned as part of an "entangled pair".

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  18. The missing C by aapold · · Score: 5, Funny

    As you aptly noted, I omitted the "C", which represents the Speed of Light, which was likewise absent in this case.

    Thus, what appeared to be a simple gaff to the untrained eye is actually a sophisticated reference en passant.

    That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

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    "Waste not one watt!" - CZ
    1. Re:The missing C by batquux · · Score: 2, Funny

      I think you meant "Nie over..."

    2. Re:The missing C by Alsee · · Score: 4, Funny

      >Thus, what appeared to be a simple gaff to the untrained eye is actually a sophisticated reference en passant.

      Good move, I guess that's checkmate.

      -

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  19. Re:Every couple of years by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Cool.

    Furthermore, Ms. Jolie could travel to Mars at the speed of light, because she has no mass.

  20. Re:Every couple of years by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    They are in different domains. General Relativity only looks at Emmys.

  21. Re:Repealed law of gravity? by 228e2 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Welcome to Slashdot. You must be new here.

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  22. Re:First Post! by JackCroww · · Score: 2, Funny

    Photons don't have Mass because they're not Catholic.

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  23. Re:The summary leaves only one question by Trails · · Score: 2, Funny

    So THAT's how Michael Jackson did the moonwalk!

    (Yes, one can make a Michael Jackson joke without refering to pedophili- ...goddamit)

  24. Re:Oblig Futurama Reference by Mortlath · · Score: 2, Funny

    That's why we don't use the metric system in the US!

  25. Re:Another explanation from Ars by afabbro · · Score: 2, Funny
    > Mayam Bialik has a PhD in Neuroscience. Actress and brain surgeon?

    Apparently, for some (extremely low) values of "actress".

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