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Phys.org reports that in a new paper accepted by the journal Astroparticle Physics, Robert Ehrlich, a recently retired physicist from George Mason University, claims that the electron neutrino is very likely a tachyon or faster-than-light particle. Ehrlich's new claim of faster-than-light neutrinos is based on a much more sensitive method than measuring their speed, namely by finding their mass. The result relies on tachyons having an imaginary mass, or a negative mass squared. Imaginary mass particles have the weird property that they speed up as they lose energy – the value of their imaginary mass being defined by the rate at which this occurs. According to Ehrlich, the magnitude of the neutrino's imaginary mass is 0.33 electronvolts, or 2/3 of a millionth that of an electron. He deduces this value by showing that six different observations from cosmic rays, cosmology, and particle physics all yield this same value (PDF) within their margin of error. One check on Ehrlich's claim could come from the experiment known as KATRIN, which should start taking data in 2015. In this experiment the mass of the neutrino could be revealed by looking at the shape of the spectrum in the beta decay of tritium, the heaviest isotope of hydrogen.p
But be careful. There have been many such claims, the last being in 2011 when the "OPERA" experiment measured the speed of neutrinos and claimed they travelled a tiny amount faster than light. When their speed was measured again the original result was found to be in error – the result of a loose cable no less. "Before you try designing a "tachyon telephone" to send messages back in time to your earlier self it might be prudent to see if Ehrlich's claim is corroborated by others."
(Score: 2) by frojack on Sunday December 28 2014, @08:01PM
I never understood the reasoning, and this goes back 15 years on Slashdot too, that for a site that is based upon creation of unique but anonymous accounts, that somehow an anonymous account that is tagged with a "handle" is somehow superior to the AC account.
Well here's the clue for you:
You feel perfectly justified by saying things about me like:
You seem to have this thing for appeal to authority in your snide remarks because I have seen it before.
while at the same time hiding behind an AC, so that your past pontifications and can never be attributed to your posting account.
You seem perfectly fine with drive by insults, while never establishing a persona to "wear" your contributions of your detractions. It is intellectual cowardice on a grand scale.
An anonymous email account and a posting name is at least a step in the direction of establishing responsibility for your remarks, allowing others to assess whether you are an asset or just an ass. Instead you choose to hurl rotten eggs out of the crowd while wearing a Guy Fawkes mask, then insisting that you are "a different AC from all the others on this page". Really? Just like THIS [soylentnews.org] guy. You are judged by the company you keep.
Nobody is asking you to reveal you True Name, place of work, or putting at risk your employment while you hurl your insults. But running away from your body of work on this site is cowardice squared. You insist on judging, while refusing to be judged. Further you wrap yourself in some pseudo self aggrandizement as somehow taking the high road by remaining behind the Teflon curtain.
Then, when challenged, you trot out your alleged "Ph.D. with my dissertation on cosmic rays". Not only do you insult others for appealing to authority, you yourself appeal to authority, AND you appear two want to prop yourself up as an authority, all in one post, while hiding behind the curtain.
gewg_ refuses to sign up for an account, but at least he signs his work. I disagree with his views much of the time, but I respect his wearing them in his own way.
Anonymous Coward is a pejorative, for good reason. It has become an internet meme, universally recognized as the sign of a cowardly bully, like the sheet wearing KKK member or the swastika painting gravestone defacer. We would all be better off without AC accounts being allows.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.