Laying odds against Einstein, shaking Physics
Cern finding shows neutrinos travelling faster than light; american, japanese scientists asked to verify
Geneva: A startling find at one of the world's foremost laboratories — a subatomic particle seeming to move faster than light — has scientists around the world rethinking Albert Einstein's theory of relativity, one of the foundations of physics.
Now, they are planning to put the finding to further high-speed tests to see if a revolutionary shift in explaining the workings of the universe is needed, or if the European scientists made a mistake.
Researchers at CERN, the European organisation for nuclear research outside Geneva, who announced the discovery late on Thursday, planned to detail their findings on Friday. If these results are confirmed, it won't change the way we live or the way the universe behaves. But the finding will fundamentally change our understanding of how the world works, physicists said.
American and Japanese scientists have been asked to verify the results before they are confirmed as a discovery, and only two labs can try to replicate the results — Fermilab outside Chicago and a Japanese lab put on hold by the March tsunami and earthquake.
Fermilab officials met on Thursday to verify the European study, and said their particle beam is up and running. Fermilab scientist Rob Plunkett said he is keeping an open mind on whether Einstein's theories need an update, but added: "It's dangerous to lay odds against Einstein. He has been tested repeatedly."
Going faster than light is not supposed to happen according to Einstein's 1905 theory of relativity. The speed of light — 1,86,282 miles per second (2,99,792 km per second) — has long been considered a cosmic speed limit.
CERN provided the particle accelerator to send neutrinos at a breakneck 454-mile (730-km) trip underground from Geneva to a lab in Italy. It reported that the neutrino beam travelled 60 nanoseconds faster than light. Scientists calculated the margin of error at just 10 nanoseconds, making the difference statistically significant.
Drew Baden, chairman of the physics department at the University of Maryland, said, "Tracking neutrinos is very difficult. This is ridiculous what they're putting out. Until this is verified by another group, it's flying carpets."
Cern finding shows neutrinos travelling faster than light; american, japanese scientists asked to verify
 | |
Geneva: A startling find at one of the world's foremost laboratories — a subatomic particle seeming to move faster than light — has scientists around the world rethinking Albert Einstein's theory of relativity, one of the foundations of physics.
Now, they are planning to put the finding to further high-speed tests to see if a revolutionary shift in explaining the workings of the universe is needed, or if the European scientists made a mistake.
Researchers at CERN, the European organisation for nuclear research outside Geneva, who announced the discovery late on Thursday, planned to detail their findings on Friday. If these results are confirmed, it won't change the way we live or the way the universe behaves. But the finding will fundamentally change our understanding of how the world works, physicists said.
American and Japanese scientists have been asked to verify the results before they are confirmed as a discovery, and only two labs can try to replicate the results — Fermilab outside Chicago and a Japanese lab put on hold by the March tsunami and earthquake.
Fermilab officials met on Thursday to verify the European study, and said their particle beam is up and running. Fermilab scientist Rob Plunkett said he is keeping an open mind on whether Einstein's theories need an update, but added: "It's dangerous to lay odds against Einstein. He has been tested repeatedly."
Going faster than light is not supposed to happen according to Einstein's 1905 theory of relativity. The speed of light — 1,86,282 miles per second (2,99,792 km per second) — has long been considered a cosmic speed limit.
CERN provided the particle accelerator to send neutrinos at a breakneck 454-mile (730-km) trip underground from Geneva to a lab in Italy. It reported that the neutrino beam travelled 60 nanoseconds faster than light. Scientists calculated the margin of error at just 10 nanoseconds, making the difference statistically significant.
Drew Baden, chairman of the physics department at the University of Maryland, said, "Tracking neutrinos is very difficult. This is ridiculous what they're putting out. Until this is verified by another group, it's flying carpets."
No comments:
Post a Comment