Faster Than Light

Faster Than The Speed of Light
No not my running - obviously. Neutrinos - allegedly.

Well that is what the scientists at INFN - Gran Sasso Labs say they measured. Neutrinos fired off from CERN in Switzerland travelling 732Km (or through “700Km of rock“ depending on which report you read) have been measured arriving at INFN at 60 nanoseconds faster than the speed of light.

The exact measurement is 57.8 nanoseconds plus or minus 7.8. Close enough for government work and far more accurate than my Garmin is or needs to be.

So What?
If proved to be the case the faster-than-light neutrinos would demolish modern physics. Mind you - some scientists are expecting the existing theories to be overthrown sometime soon. But not in quite such a radical way. See also the Higgs Boson.

Back to square 1.

Experiment Replicated
Not exactly but it has been repeated by the same team.
To be replicated an experiment needs to be repeated by different teams who arrive consistently at the same results as the original.
So far all that has happened is that the INFN team, who published the original findings, have adjusted the pulses of neutrinos to avoid one of the possible system errors.

Pulse Bursts
It had been suggested that in the long pulses of neutrinos the instruments were measuring the last particles to be fired as the first to arrive. The repeat experiment used shorter pulses to counter this - and still measured the 57.8 nanosecond breaking of the speed limit.

Supernovae Observed
These have been observed for many years. Most of the energy emitted is neutrinos. And these are not measured arriving at earth ahead of the light. So how can it be that when travelling over billions of light years across space the neutrinos arrive after the light images - but over a mere 700Km through rock they arrive nearly 60 nanoseconds ahead?

Alternatives

1. Error in the instruments - unlikely as they have been checked and double-checked
2. Conceptual error - the results measure something different from what the scientists think they are measuring
3. Unknown Unknowns - something not yet discovered that affects the results in an unexpected way
4. Existing Theory Wrong - particles can travel faster than light
5. Interference with the Results by Aliens or Gods.

The paper has been published for peer review - to see if someone can spot the error or come up with a theory to explain the unexpected results.
 
Outcomes
Possible outcomes are:-

1. Error in measurement identified
2. Error in concept of experiment identified
3. Something new discovered - but which does not overturn the current theories
4. Existing theory replaced by a new paradigm
5. INFN running out of funds before the experiment is concluded due to the sovereign default of Italy, implosion of the Euro and economic collapse of western Europe.

 
But will it affect the man on the Clapham omnibus?
 
 

Rhymes with Tune

Light - God’s eldest daughter - is a principal beauty in building. - Thomas Fuller 1608-1661