4xc ?

Jeremy Munday and Bill Robertson of Middle Tennessee State University say
they've made electrical signals go four times faster than light over a
distance just larger than a football field using $500 worth of off-the-shelf
equipment that took 40 minutes to set up. Other scientists had previously
accomplished a similar task over just a few yards (meters) with expensive
gear.

The researchers combined two waves to generate an interference in a pulse of
energy, according to an article in New Scientist magazine. Peaks reflect off
each other, propelling one forward at a faster pace.

The peak moves faster than light speed, but the total energy of the pulse
does not, so Einstein is still right. Unfortunately, that means no immediate
prospects for time travel. The work might help improve computers and
telecommunication, however, by taking the speed of signals in wires --
typically about 50 percent the speed of light -- and raising it closer to
the magical threshold.
Received on pon 16 wrz 2002 - 18:05:34 CEST