FTL Communication

[Moontanman]

Is faster than light communication totally forbidden in our universe? What would our universe look like if FTLC was possible? What would be different? What would be the same? Are there any theoretical ways to communicate faster than light in our universe?

[freeztar]

Some conversation on this subject occurred last year.

http://hypography.com/forums/news-br...eed-light.html
http://hypography.com/forums/physics...han-light.html
http://hypography.com/forums/physics...-internal.html

Your questions are interesting, but I don't understand how it is an alternative theory. It's more like philosophy.

It's always good to think about these things in any case.

[Overdog]

My understanding of Einsteins theory is that the transmission of information faster than light is not possible. That is different from saying that an event which exceeds the speed of light is not possible.

That said, I (and probably a lot of others) would very much like to believe that Einstein is wrong in this respect. But you have to admit, the man's theory has substantial staying power. People have been attacking it for a long time....

If there is the possibility of communication faster than light, then it is by some mechanism completely unknown to us, even worse, as far as I know we don't even have any reasons to suspect Einstein might be wrong about this.

[modest]

Originally Posted by Overdog

That is different from saying that an event which exceeds the speed of light is not possible.

This is a really insightful point. I assume you're referring to quantum entanglement and I agree there seems to be a rather important distinction. Entangled pairs do seem to communicate faster than light, but causality is preserved because the rest of the universe can't use this process for communication. Fascinating really.

-modest

[sanctus]

Originally Posted by modest

This is a really insightful point. I assume you're referring to quantum entanglement and I agree there seems to be a rather important distinction. Entangled pairs do seem to communicate faster than light, but causality is preserved because the rest of the universe can't use this process for communication. Fascinating really.

-modest

Just wanted to bring up this example too. But Modest, in my understanding entangled pairs do not SEEM to comunicate faster than light but how theory explains this phenomena so far it DOES comunicate faster than light.

[modest]

Originally Posted by sanctus

Just wanted to bring up this example too. But Modest, in my understanding entangled pairs do not SEEM to comunicate faster than light but how theory explains this phenomena so far it DOES comunicate faster than light.

I agree. I was concerned someone would throw a local, hidden variable interpretation at me. But, I do think entanglement is by far the best theory, and according to that theory entangled pairs must and absolutely do communicate faster than light.

-modest

[Overdog]

Yes, quantum entanglement was what I was referring to. It is definitely fascinating (spooky). But I wonder if it reallly is information that is exchanged between entangeled pairs, and not something else even spookier.

[sanctus]

If it were information we would have FTL comunication...

[Jay-qu]

I dont see what is so different about entanglement from usual experience.

Take this example: put two rocks in a bag, one white one black, remove one rock but dont look at it, jump in your trusty spaceship and fly an appreciable distance away, then look at the rock in your hand. Now you instantly 'gained' information about the rock you left behind on Earth, you have inferred its colour from the one you are holding.

[Overdog]

Originally Posted by Jay-qu

I dont see what is so different about entanglement from usual experience.

Take this example: put two rocks in a bag, one white one black, remove one rock but dont look at it, jump in your trusty spaceship and fly an appreciable distance away, then look at the rock in your hand. Now you instantly 'gained' information about the rock you left behind on Earth, you have inferred its colour from the one you are holding.

But isn't it a little stranger than that? My understanding (which may be flawed) is that it is more like having two coins in a box, and taking one of the coins (in your trusty space ship, of course) to another location and placing it on the table you observe that it is heads...and because of entanglement, you know that the coin you left in the box is showing tails...?