Faster than Light?

Talk given to around 100 A-level Physics students from across Coventry, together with my colleague Ally Caldecote.

Recent results from the OPERA experiment at CERN have suggested neutrinos may travel faster than the speed of light - something forbidden by Einstein's Special Relativity. We introduced Special Relativity, explained the new results and discussed some of the possible consequences for physics. In particular why Special Relativity breaks down when particle do travel faster than the speed of light.

At the same time we discussed what CERN, the worlds foremost particle physics laboratory, was like and what goes on there.

Transcript

1. Faster than Light? Insights into life & research at CERN Ally Caldecote & Daniel Scully
8. Albert Einstein 1905 The Photoelectric Effect Brownian motion Special Relativity Matter-Energy Equivalence 1907 – 1915 General Relativity 1879 – 1955 Dyslexic
9. Special Relativity Physics is the same for all observers, regardless of their relative speeds The speed of light is the same for all observers Nothing can go faster than the speed of light
10. x LIGHT t EVENT
11. x LIGHT t
13. x LIGHT x E t E t
14. x LIGHT x E t E t
15. x x E t E t LIGHT
16. x x E t E t LIGHT
17. Special Relativity Has changed our understanding of the Universe Has been experimentally verified But... It's our job as scientists to always keep checking... and checking...
18. We need big facilities to do this checking...
23. Faster than the speed of light?
25. Switzerland Geneva CERN Italy Perugia Gran Sasso
27. Result Δt = 61 ± 10 ns 0.0025% Faster
29. Consequences If correct: Special Relativity is a cornerstone of modern physics... …neutrinos are breaking that cornerstone.
30. x LIGHT t 1 2
31. x LIGHT t 1 2
32. x LIGHT t 1 2
34. x LIGHT t x E t E 1 2 1 2
35. Consequences Causality could be broken – cause does not have to precede effect
36. Consequences Causality could be broken – cause does not have to precede effect Energy and Momentum could be broken - Comes from the same rules
37. Consequences Causality could be broken – cause does not have to precede effect Energy and Momentum could be broken - comes from the same rules ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? - we don't know
38. Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence
39. Keep Asking Questions