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Hi there, thanks for your interest in SPI article. Here's a nice
website with some FAQ's on tachyons:
http://www.physics.gmu.edu/~e-physics/bob/c.htm
It is clear from the relativistic equations (if it is not clear to
you, write back and I will explain in details) that if you start
out with any mass you are constrained to moving less than the
speed of light. Similarly, if you start out with zero mass, you
stay at zero mass. However, if you started faster than speed of
light, then you will have imaginary mass, whatever that means.
Such particles will show up as regular mass to an observer at rest
( if you chase it, its speed increases ). Hence, if there really
exists particle with imaginary mass, it will look exactly like
normal particle, but always travel faster than the speed of light.
When it lost energy it would move faster. When it gained energy it
would move slower.
Generally speaking, tachyons do not interact with other matters,
so no, we cannot feel it. It is however, possible to detect them
using particle detector. If tachyons exist they can easily be
detected by the presence of Cerenkov radiation in a vacuum.
Cerenkov radiation is radiation emitted when a charged particle
travels through a medium at a speed greater than the velocity of
light in the medium. Is that an interaction? It depends on your
definition of "interaction".
Until now, no such radiation is observed. So it is very doubtful
that tachyon exists. Some people claim ghosts might be tachyonic
beings, but then they will have to travel at the speed of light
and how can we see ghosts walking slowly then?
Do remember that the idea of tachyon is based on Special
Relativity. I am aware that some physicists are trying to rewrite
Einstein because they have observed some high energy cosmic rays
that Special Relativity says should not exist. The new theory is
called DSR: Doubly Special Relativity. There are many version of
DSR but they all agree that speed of light is not that constant.
Higher energy light wave has higher speed. So our tachyon
hypothesis may be changed too.
Here is a link to more stuff on tachyon:
http://www.fynu.ucl.ac.be/users/j.steyaert/
Kind regards,
Mathwizard
Post a follow-up on this mystery
here.
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