German scientists claim to have broken speed of light

We're almost terrified to hear what the physicists in the crowd have to say about this one, but a duo of German scientists have reportedly broken the speed of light. To do so, the two "set up an experiment in which microwave photons, energetic packets of light, appeared to travel instantaneously between two prisms forming the halves of a cube placed a meter apart." According to them, they were able to force light to overcome its own speed limit by utilizing a "strange phenomenon known as quantum tunneling." Dr. Gunter Nimtz was even quoted as saying that for the time being, it was the "only violation of special relativity that he knew of," and while it does indeed sound (way) too good to be true, we'll step aside and let the experts battle it out.

[Via Telegraph, thanks Ian]

UPDATE: As predicted, there's a high probability that these claims aren't exactly, shall we say, infallibly correct -- but at least someone's giving it a go, eh?

[robothouse @ Aug 16th 2007 11:12PM]

WTF SPEEDHAX!

[Jagannath A @ Aug 16th 2007 11:30PM]

STFU noob ;)

[Aaron @ Aug 16th 2007 11:31PM]

Yeah, it's only a matter of time before an admin spots them and bans them from the universe.

[daniel @ Aug 17th 2007 12:13AM]

hehe, they're goin to get pwn3d

[michas_pi @ Aug 17th 2007 1:41AM]

Oh God, you guys crack me up...

[JayEss @ Aug 17th 2007 7:05AM]

Just wondering... how on Earth did they measure the speed?

What invention can measure something travel accurately close to the speed of light, let alone beyond it at distances of just 1 metre?

Doh!

[Adam Zeldin @ Aug 16th 2007 11:13PM]

Shananagans

[deep @ Aug 16th 2007 11:14PM]

Yeah, but can it play Doom?

[Ryan @ Aug 16th 2007 11:17PM]

If you were going faster than the speed of light, you would be finished playing Doom before you even started. Think about that.

[Steve @ Aug 16th 2007 11:16PM]

sexxy !!!!!

[David @ Aug 16th 2007 11:19PM]

You should update the story to include a link to the Ars Technica analysis of this, and having actually read this paper, and being a physicist myself, I call BS.

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070816-faster-than-the-speed-of-light-no-i-dont-think-so.html

[justin @ Aug 16th 2007 11:20PM]

I don't see how this is going to get me a flying car any sooner

[granny down east @ Aug 16th 2007 11:23PM]

...best comment.

[Jagannath A @ Aug 16th 2007 11:37PM]

grab one from the future :P

[Iced_Eagle @ Aug 16th 2007 11:21PM]

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070816-faster-than-the-speed-of-light-no-i-dont-think-so.html

[siriusfox @ Aug 17th 2007 1:21AM]

Based on the article you provide. I'm saying this is a marketing stunt. Just like perpetual motion. I'll bet that is where they got the idea.

[Ratchet the Lombax @ Aug 16th 2007 11:22PM]

Yes but they needed 1.21 Gigawatts of power to do it.

[Charlie @ Aug 17th 2007 1:15AM]

Nope, it was all powered by the improbibility drive.

[kevink @ Aug 16th 2007 11:22PM]

professer farnsworth was right, they DID raise the speed limit of light so he could go faster

[Jay @ Aug 16th 2007 11:26PM]

good god! hyperspace all star wars like is closer to reality! wel get to proxima centauri in half an hour now! hmmm too good to be true... hehe

[djgrind45 @ Aug 16th 2007 11:35PM]

cool its about time

[TMLC @ Aug 17th 2007 6:14AM]

Or is it before time o.O

[Rage @ Aug 16th 2007 11:33PM]

hello stargate

[waiownsyou @ Aug 16th 2007 11:33PM]

ZOMG t3h Klingons are coming to pwn us... everyone get your Starfleet uniform on and set you phasers to kill!! OH SHIZZ

[Mike Jenkins @ Aug 16th 2007 11:36PM]

Yes, but will it blend?

[Jagannath A @ Aug 16th 2007 11:39PM]

no it will bend :D

[tehpwnmstr @ Aug 20th 2007 2:14PM]

Superluminous Particle dust. Don't breathe this!

[a ham sandwich @ Aug 16th 2007 11:37PM]

"appeared to travel instantaneously between two prisms forming the halves of a cube placed a meter apart."

lol, light does seem to do that sometimes.

[dramamoose @ Aug 17th 2007 12:23AM]

Lol! Great statement. I had the same thought.

[MEAT! @ Aug 16th 2007 11:38PM]

"we'll step aside and let the experts battle it out."

robothouse @ Aug 16th 2007 11:12PM
WTF SPEEDHAX!

deep @ Aug 16th 2007 11:14PM
Yeah, but can it play Doom?

waiownsyou @ Aug 16th 2007 11:33PM
ZOMG t3h Klingons are coming to pwn us... everyone get your Starfleet uniform on and set you phasers to kill!! OH SHIZZ



Yeeaaaaah. Experts...

[PhAsR @ Aug 17th 2007 3:50AM]

LOL! The real experts XDDDDDDDDDDD

[ypod @ Aug 16th 2007 11:54PM]

"One of the problems has to do with the speed of light and the difficulties involved in trying to exceed it. You can't. Nothing travels faster than the speed of light with the possible exception of bad news, which obeys its own special laws. The Hingefreel people of Arkintoofle Minor did try to build spaceships that were powered by bad news but they didn't work particularly well and were so extremely unwelcome whenever they arrived anywhere that there wasn't really any point in being there."

Douglas Adams (RIP)

[Garst @ Aug 17th 2007 12:00AM]

Oh, no! They broke the speed of light! We'll be stuck in perpetual dusk!

[Adam @ Aug 17th 2007 12:16AM]

that is funny

[Mr. Vage @ Aug 17th 2007 12:05AM]

Pics or it didn't happen!

[michas_pi @ Aug 17th 2007 1:43AM]

Similarly, screenshots or it didn't happen.

[digitalain @ Aug 17th 2007 12:09PM]

you definitely couldn't photograph it, since it is supposedly traveling faster than the speed of your camera.

[jbcaro @ Aug 17th 2007 12:12AM]

UPDATE: As predicted, there's a high probability that these claims aren't exactly, shall we say, infallibly correct -- but at least someone's giving it a go, eh?


I'm fix'in it as fast as I can, Captain

Montgomery "Scotty" Scott (RIP)

[nickroz @ Aug 17th 2007 12:19AM]

How long before the ricers use this technology in their dropped civics?

[rodan32 @ Aug 17th 2007 12:45AM]

They can mount it right by the fuel-saver vortex. Or maybe they can use it to make the exhaust louder or something.

[Matt E. @ Aug 17th 2007 3:58AM]

That would be the speed of tackiness.

[hickhamt @ Aug 17th 2007 9:51AM]

"dude, neon glow sticks are so 6 months ago, check out my microwave photon prism cubes!"

[etherealstrife @ Aug 18th 2007 8:34AM]

This is old news. With enough stickers any car could possess sufficient hp to instantly accelerate beyond the speed of light.

[Ben Jacobs @ Aug 17th 2007 6:38AM]

thought the Iphone already did that

[James @ Aug 17th 2007 12:21AM]

Did not hit the read link, but from the OP it sounds like they're using quantum entanglement to "teleport" *information* -- I could swear this had been done before, no?

I just hit the WP article on "quantum teleportation", but they explicitly state that the current prevailing opinion is that even with quantum entanglement, you can't move information at superluminal speeds; I guess that's why they're saying the story is bogus?

[Frankenstein Black @ Aug 17th 2007 12:25AM]

EXPERT HERE: Darkspeed (antimatter's version of lightspeed), trumps (i.e. is faster than) Lightspeed. Don't you fellers no nothin? ;^)...

[Edge @ Aug 17th 2007 9:18AM]

SANDURZ Light speed, too slow?

HELMET Yes, we're gonna have to go right to ludicrous speed!

[ryan @ Aug 19th 2007 9:27PM]

Sanders: prepare shi...PREPARE SHIP, FOR LUDICROUS SPEED!!

Lonestar: They've gone plaid...

[Ant White @ Aug 17th 2007 12:32AM]

Hahahahaha Quantum tunnelling with microwaves is demonstrated in a 1st year physics degree this really isn't news.

[george.beckingham @ Aug 17th 2007 12:30AM]

By any chance, these two 'scientists' aren't named Pons and Fleischman, are they?