# poly: FTL?

Date: Thu Jan 01 1998 - 13:08:04 PST

I recently found this paper on the preprint server:
http://xxx.lanl.gov/abs/physics/9710027

Faster Than Light ?

Authors: J. E. Maiorino, W. A. Rodrigues Jr
Subj-class: Popular Physics; Classical Physics; History of Physics

In this paper we present a pedestrian review of the theoretical fact
that all relativistic wave equations possess solutions of arbitrary
velocities $0 \leq v < \infty$. We discuss some experimental evidences
of $v \geq c$ transmission of electromagnetic field configurations and
the importance of these facts with regard to the principle of
relativity.

It shows some fun diagrams of X-waves (apparently a cross-like
solution of the Maxwell equations that is FTL), mentions experiments
that have produced apparently supraluminal results and generally seems
to suggest that the world is stranger than we thought. However, it is
a preprint and popular physics, so I'm not sure how much we should
trust it. Has anybody else here read it, and what do you think?

A personal speculation: Maybe we do not need causality, the
self-consistency principle of Novikov might be enough to keep the
universe "sane" even if there is limited time-travel and FTL.

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Anders Sandberg                                      Towards Ascension!