Extended special relativity describes how the universe would look if you broke the speed of light.
Scientists from the University of Warsaw in Poland and the
National University of Singapore are pushing the limits of relativity with a
new theory called the "extension of special relativity," a report
reveals.
The new theory combines three time dimensions with a single
space dimension ("1+3 space-time"), providing an alternative,
mind-bending scenario to the three spatial dimensions and one time dimension we
all know.
The scientists' new study suggests that objects may be able
to go faster than the speed of light without completely shattering our current
laws of physics.
Ultimately, it describes how observations made by
"superluminal" observers — observers traveling faster than the speed
of light — may appear.
Extended special relativity
The new study, published in the journal Classical and Quantum Gravity, builds on previous work on these theoretical superluminal observers by some researchers on the project.
In their new work, they posited that superluminal perspectives could help to link quantum mechanics with Einstein's special theory of relativity for a unified theory of quantum gravity. "There is no fundamental reason why observers moving in relation to the described physical systems with speeds greater than the speed of light should not be subject to it," explained physicist Andrzej Dragan from the University of Warsaw in Poland.
The research team's new model describes superluminal objects
as resembling a particle that expands like a bubble through space, allowing it
to 'experience' several different timelines in the process.
"Even so, the speed of light in a vacuum would remain
constant even for those observers going faster than it," the Science Alert
report explains, "which preserves one of Einstein's fundamental principles
– a principle that has previously only been thought about in relation to
observers going slower than the speed of light (like all of us)."
Importantly, the scientists argue that superluminal objects require descriptions within the field theory framework, meaning their extended special relativity should be logically consistent with past models. "This new definition preserves Einstein's postulate of constancy of the speed of light in vacuum even for superluminal observers," Dragan said. "Therefore, our extended special relativity does not seem like a particularly extravagant idea."
A 'feat worthy of the Nobel Prize'
The researchers aim to carry out more work to better
understand the implications of their 1+3 space-time model. However, their
initial analysis suggests that the particles of the Universe could all have
incredible properties under the rules of extended special relativity.
"The mere experimental discovery of a new fundamental
particle is a feat worthy of the Nobel Prize and feasible in a large research
team using the latest experimental techniques," explained physicist
Krzysztof Turzyński, from the University of Warsaw.
"However, we hope to apply our results to a better
understanding of the phenomenon of spontaneous symmetry breaking associated
with the mass of the Higgs particle and other particles in the Standard Model,
especially in the early Universe."