# Neutrinos break speed of light **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 22, 2011, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neutrinos-break-speed-of-light/597267 "2011-09-22T23:06:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neutrinos-break-speed-of-light/597267/1 "2011-09-22T23:06:31Z")
[According to this Reuters article](http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/22/science-light-idUSL5E7KM4CW20110922), so say scientists. They shot neutrinos from CERN near Geneva to Gran Sasso Italy and the particles traveled the distance 60 nanoseconds faster than light would have. Kinda interesting, I thought. Nothing I’m qualified to comment on though. ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neutrinos-break-speed-of-light/597267/2 "2011-09-22T23:10:51Z")
If this is corroborated, then physics as we know it is over. Einstein was wrong and the world is different than we ever thought. ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neutrinos-break-speed-of-light/597267/3 "2011-09-22T23:26:51Z")
No it means Einstein was almost right. ETA: But it’s going to take a fair bit more than a single experiment to over throw GR ---
**Author:** ![user\_hostile](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/user_hostile/32/474_2.png) [@user\_hostile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/user_hostile)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neutrinos-break-speed-of-light/597267/4 "2011-09-23T00:02:34Z")
The speed of light can be exceeded by matter in special cases: [Cherenkov radiation](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherenkov_radiation) is one case where matter can travel faster than the phase velocity of light. But matter cannot exceed c of light. WAG: it seems to imply neutrinos have no mass. But **Grey** is right, one point on a Cartesian plot does not make for a line. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neutrinos-break-speed-of-light/597267/5 "2011-09-23T03:29:27Z")
I saw this in the news today. As I was reading the article I said “hot damn!” out loud. Luckily nobody asked me why. I doubt anyone I was working with today would have understood why this might be a very big deal. ---
**Author:** ![Vahid\_Tarzan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/3e96dc/32.png) [@Vahid\_Tarzan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vahid_Tarzan)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neutrinos-break-speed-of-light/597267/6 "2011-09-23T03:41:16Z")
> [@user\_hostile](#): > > The speed of light can be exceeded by matter in special cases: [Cherenkov radiation](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherenkov_radiation) is one case where matter can travel faster than the phase velocity of light. But matter cannot exceed c of light. > > WAG: it seems to imply neutrinos have no mass. > > But **Grey** is right, one point on a Cartesian plot does not make for a line. the environment around matter? ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neutrinos-break-speed-of-light/597267/7 "2011-09-23T03:41:23Z")
> [@user\_hostile](#): > > But **Grey** is right, one point on a Cartesian plot does not make for a line. That’s one thing I love about science. Scientists discover something bizzare and they _want_ someone to try and prove them wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neutrinos-break-speed-of-light/597267/8 "2011-09-23T03:55:17Z")
Did the neutrinos travel _in the direction_ of the Earth’s rotation, _or against_ the direction of the Earth’s rotation? I’m kidding! Seriously! It’s just a joke! No, c’mon guys—don’t point and laugh… It’s not nice… ---
**Author:** ![user\_hostile](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/user_hostile/32/474_2.png) [@user\_hostile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/user_hostile)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neutrinos-break-speed-of-light/597267/9 "2011-09-23T04:02:29Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > Did the neutrinos travel _in the direction_ of the Earth’s rotation, _or against_ the direction of the Earth’s rotation? > > I’m kidding! Seriously! It’s just a joke! > > No, c’mon guys—don’t point and laugh… It’s not nice… Aether. What you wanted to say was Aether. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neutrinos-break-speed-of-light/597267/10 "2011-09-23T11:48:35Z")
[QUOTE=Snowboarder Bo] … I doubt anyone I was working with today would have understood why this might be a very big deal. [/QUOTE] I heard it on the Today program (Radio 4 news) sandwiched between stories about evicting some travellers and Tories bitching about PPIs (don’t ask). Either this is a _monumentally huge_ story which should eclipse every other piece of news, or it’s an experimental glitch, in which case it might make it into the inside pages of New Scientist. It was also (obviously) reported dumbed-down to the state of meaninglessness - “Einstein said that nothing can travel faster than light” sort of thing, not one mention of relativity as far as I recall. Certainly nothing to finesse a distinction between c and “the speed of light”. Wankers. Anyhow, if neutrinos are travelling faster than light I blame the cats. Next on the today program… Cats are weird. Neutrinos are weird. Therefore: cats cause neutrinos! ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neutrinos-break-speed-of-light/597267/11 "2011-09-23T11:51:35Z")
As always, [xkcd](http://xkcd.com/955/) is on it. Anyone have $200 they want to bet? ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neutrinos-break-speed-of-light/597267/12 "2011-09-23T11:52:56Z")
Whoah. If this is confirmed then awesome! ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neutrinos-break-speed-of-light/597267/13 "2011-09-23T16:02:34Z")
“Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neutrinos-break-speed-of-light/597267/14 "2011-09-23T16:30:02Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > Did the neutrinos travel _in the direction_ of the Earth’s rotation, _or against_ the direction of the Earth’s rotation? So if we mount a neutrino-shooter on a very long, very fast treadmill and shoot it backwards, will the neutrino just fall to the floor with a thud? And what if we turn the shooter around … 😃 ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neutrinos-break-speed-of-light/597267/15 "2011-09-23T16:33:50Z")
E = mc 2 + 1 ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neutrinos-break-speed-of-light/597267/16 "2011-09-23T16:34:16Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > So if we mount a neutrino-shooter on a very long, very fast treadmill and shoot it backwards, will the neutrino just fall to the floor with a thud? And what if we turn the shooter around … 😃 And what if the neutrino is carrying a flashlight and then turns it on? ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neutrinos-break-speed-of-light/597267/17 "2011-09-23T16:34:43Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > That’s one thing I love about science. Scientists discover something bizzare and they _want_ someone to try and prove them wrong. Absolutely. I was reading how they went over and over the results, checking and re-checking and re-doing the experiment over and over, before they published. And then they asked the other places that have the ability to run the same experiment to check their results. We’ve already seen the xkcd comic on this. For another view of how to look at the world, [here](http://www.gocomics.com/nonsequitur) is today’s Non Sequitur comic (link may not be good after today). Roddy ---
**Author:** ![Vlad\_Igor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Vlad\_Igor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vlad_Igor)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neutrinos-break-speed-of-light/597267/18 "2011-09-23T16:38:35Z")
Nutrinos go “thud?” I thought is was more of a “Bwainnnnnnngggggg.” ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neutrinos-break-speed-of-light/597267/19 "2011-09-23T16:40:10Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > So if we mount a neutrino-shooter on a very long, very fast treadmill and shoot it backwards, will the neutrino just fall to the floor with a thud? And what if we turn the shooter around … 😃 They travel backwards in time and… … you guessed it. Dinosaurs shoot out. ---
**Author:** ![Gedd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gedd/32/4938_2.png) [@Gedd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gedd)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neutrinos-break-speed-of-light/597267/20 "2011-09-23T16:47:01Z")
This will probably turn out to be a really stupid mistake; their aim is off and the neutrinos are hitting the wall and bouncing back before they register them or the clock program is rounding down. However I do agree it would be exciting if it does pan out. Quick, how can we build a spaceship out of neutrinos? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neutrinos-break-speed-of-light/597267.md?page=2)