Faster-than-c signals, special relativity, and causality

DOI10.1006/APHY.2002.6233zbMATH Open0996.83002arXivgr-qc/0107091OpenAlexW3099920396WikidataQ55120421 ScholiaQ55120421MaRDI QIDQ699055FDOQ699055

Authors: S. Liberati, Sebastiano Sonego, Matt Visser 

Publication date: 1 October 2002

Published in: Annals of Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: Motivated by the recent attention on superluminal phenomena, we investigate the compatibility between faster-than-c propagation and the fundamental principles of relativity and causality. We first argue that special relativity can easily accommodate -- indeed, does not exclude -- faster-than-c signalling at the kinematical level. As far as causality is concerned, it is impossible to make statements of general validity, without specifying at least some features of the tachyonic propagation. We thus focus on the Scharnhorst effect (faster-than-c photon propagation in the Casimir vacuum), which is perhaps the most plausible candidate for a physically sound realization of these phenomena. We demonstrate that in this case the faster-than-c aspects are ``benign and constrained in such a manner as to not automatically lead to causality violations.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/0107091

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zbMATH Keywords

causalityspecial relativityfaster-than-\(c\) propagationsuperluminal phenomena

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Equations of motion in general relativity and gravitational theory (83C10) Special relativity (83A05)

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