Richard Clark wrote:
On Sun, 10 Feb 2008 11:41:22 +1300, cliff wright
wrote:


Now consider this! When a quantum of energy, of any wavelength is
emitted from an atom or a nucleus then time and space ceases to exist
for that "wave packet" until it is absorbed again, or passes through a
medium where the velocity of light is less than c (glass for example, or
coaxial cable!!!). Since it is always travelling at c in "space" then
time ceases to pass for the quantum and/or the universe appears to be a
single point from the quantum's point of view.
A possible corrollary of this might perhaps be that there is only one
"real" quantum of a particular energy in the universe at a time!!!


Hi Cliff,

You have contradicted yourself. Your second sentence above has the
premise there is no time. Your last sentence ends with time
explicitly allowed.


This is pretty well where Relativity leaves Quantum Mechanics I reckon.


How so?


Now this may be philosophy but what is the answer that both quantum
mechanics and relativity have for this apparent absurdity?


The contradiction offered.


If it perhaps not so absurd, perhaps this explains some of the results
of the famous single quantum slit experiment?


Dismissing absurdities, the single slit experiment has its own
explanation.


BTW surely FTL communication only destroys causality if the speed of
information is infinite.


As the lawyers would say "FTL communication" is a fact not shown in
the evidence offered here; so the rest of the statement does not
logically follow.


Just faster than light by say 1,000 times would
simply mean that it got there faster not before it was transmitted?


It would be more meaningful to demonstrate it got there 1.00000000001
times faster. If you cannot establish this mark, 1000 time faster
isn't on the horizon.

As one other poster was abashed to discover, you probably could
witness that first demonstration if you were a fish. A fish swimming
in the cooling pond of a nuclear reactor would be hit by a neutron
(one bit of information) before the radiation (light, the other same
bit of information) that catapulted it from the pile. Now, getting
that neutron up to 1000 times faster (in terms of information flow) is
unlikely; but if you were to choose to inhabit a pool of somewhat
greater density (1000 times more so?) - then perhaps arguably so. I
don't think we need hold our breaths and wait for AT&T stock to mature
into Billion$ on that idea.

73's
Richard Clark, KB7QHC
Ah Richard! I see where I didn't make myself clear.
There are 2 points of view here (or 2 observers).
For the mythical observer on the "wave packet" as special relativity
tells us, at c time ceases to pass. The corollary of this is that the 40
million years it takes a quantum of light from M104, for example, to
reach my eye at the eyepiece of my telescope does NOT exist from the
Quantum's point of view. Or from another aspect the space between the
galaxy and Earth doesn't exist from the same point of view since it was
traversed in zero time.
From my point of view at relatively zero velocity there is a 40 million
LY gap to traverse in ~40MY but surely if special relativity is correct
this is not what the quantum "experiences" at all. Presumably it
"experiences" emission from an atom in M104 and absorbtion by an atom in
my retina as extremely (perhaps 2x Planck times) close events, unless it
passea through a medium in which the velocity of light is less than c on
the way.

Certainly I agree with you that electromagnetic radiation cannot travel
faster than c in this universe. But that is not to presume that other
forms of energy tranfer may not be possible at higher velocties.
A possible example is "gravitational radiation" which although it is one
possible explanation for certain astrnomical phaenomena has NOT yet been
detected. My research into such instruments as LIGO shows that a major
factor in the hoped for detection is an assumption that this radiation
travels at c. This is neccessary for correlation of signals and observed
events. If this quadrapole radiation travels at some other velocity then
null results are just what one would expect.
The null results of SETI do not surprise me for a similar reason. If
there are advanced starfaring races out there radio or other EM
communication would be woefully inadequate and either not used at all or
only for very specialised (and slow) directional links which are
unlikely to send data towards Earth. If not then we are just an anomally
and we won't be around for long enough to matter on the cosmic scale.
Cliff Wright ZL1BDA