BrendanFlock said:

What force is responsible for the vacuum effect?

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In the framework of this proposal, the observed phenomena of light's behaviour, the refractive index, and the potential superluminal effects in extreme environments such as neutron star mergers can be interpreted through the lens of Bohmian mechanics extended beyond traditional relativistic constraints.

Bohmian mechanics traditionally struggles with integrating non-locality within a relativistic framework, where information is bound by the speed of light. However, this proposal suggests that in certain extreme conditions, such as those involving tachyonic behaviour and finite temperatures in neutron star mergers, information might propagate faster than light, enabling new interpretations of quantum dynamics.

Cherenkov radiation, typically observed when a particle exceeds the phase velocity of light in a medium, might be seen as a small-scale example of light’s tachyonic behaviour—where light briefly exhibits superluminal properties. In the context of a neutron star merger, this effect could be significantly magnified, analogous to the difference between splitting a single atom and releasing the energy from several kilograms of weapons-grade plutonium.

This amplified tachyonic behaviour in such extreme environments suggests that light and its associated information could transcend the usual relativistic limitations, offering profound insights into the nature of light, time, and space. The proposal thus opens the door to a reinterpretation of Bohmian mechanics, where non-local influences and superluminal effects play a crucial role in the dynamics of the cosmos.

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redgreenvines said:

I still want FTL travel to be possible. wahhh!!!

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The difference between Cherenkov radiation and the proposed superluminal information transfer lies in both the scale of the phenomena and the nature of phase velocity in different contexts.

In Cherenkov Radiation, particles do indeed exceed the phase velocity of light, but this is a reduced phase velocity within a medium, not the speed of light in a vacuum. This interaction occurs within relativistic constraints, where particles surpass the medium's slower phase velocity while still adhering to the speed limit set by the speed of light in a vacuum.

In contrast, the Proposed Superluminal Information Transfer suggests that the information carried by light might temporarily exceed the speed of light in a vacuum. This implies an interaction with an altered or increased phase velocity in extreme environments, such as those found in stellar phenomena like neutron star mergers or black hole mergers.

This behaviour operates outside of traditional relativistic constraints, indicating a different set of interactions under these extreme conditions.

The key difference is the scale and the interaction with phase velocity. In Cherenkov radiation, particles exceed the reduced phase velocity within a medium but not the universal speed limit of light in a vacuum.

Meanwhile, the proposed superluminal information transfer suggests that under certain extreme conditions, the information carried by light may surpass the speed of light in a vacuum, indicating a unique interaction with phase velocity that allows for such superluminal behaviour.

This synthesis clarifies how phase velocity interacts differently in these contexts. While particles in Cherenkov radiation adhere to relativistic constraints by exceeding a reduced phase velocity, the proposed superluminal information transfer suggests that information, but not matter or energy, might exceed the speed of light in a vacuum, thus operating outside of these constraints.

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Faster Than a Speeding Photon: How Tachyons Challenge Modern Physics

Research on tachyons, particles theorized to move faster than light, has progressed significantly, revealing that prior inconsistencies within quantum mechanics stemmed from inadequate boundary conditions. A new framework, considering both past and future states, not only resolves these issues but suggests a novel type of quantum entanglement and positions tachyons as central to the formation of matter via Higgs field excitations.

https://scitechdaily.com/faster-than-a-speeding-photon-how-tachyons-challenge-modern-physics/?fbclid=IwY2xjawEiyshleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHfT3bCBbte0NX0mMnxRk1-GaTTcbzXXE0CscXBWIM83qPao5rjnUlgGW4w_aem_X5FX2HRDfTlzWKsNQ7xpKg

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Comparing Superluminal Information Transfer to Cherenkov Radiation

Cherenkov radiation occurs when a charged particle, such as an electron, travels through a dielectric medium at a speed greater than the phase velocity of light within that medium. This phenomenon operates within relativistic constraints because, while the particle exceeds the reduced phase velocity of light in the medium, it does not surpass the speed of light in a vacuum.

In contrast, the proposed superluminal information transfer suggests that the information carried by photons might temporarily exceed the speed of light in a vacuum under extreme cosmic conditions, such as those found in neutron star mergers or black hole mergers. This does not imply that photons themselves are moving faster than light, but rather that the way information is transmitted via these photons could involve an interaction with an altered or increased phase velocity, influenced by quantum fluctuations and the complex structure of spacetime within the Cauchy event horizon.

Cauchy Event Horizon and Its Role

The Cauchy event horizon provides a theoretical boundary beyond which events cannot influence an observer. Within this horizon, superluminal information transfer might occur without violating fundamental principles like causality. This ensures that while information might temporarily move faster than light, it does so in a way that adheres to a constrained and physically consistent framework, especially under extreme conditions where traditional relativistic constraints might not apply.

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Neutron Stars Merge to Form Black Hole

https://www.ligo.caltech.edu/image/ligo20171016a (October 16, 2017)

https://mcdonaldobservatory.org/news/gallery/neutron-stars-merge-form-black-hole (2024)

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I’ve been thinking a lot about how the refractive index really shapes our understanding of light, especially in the context of extreme events like the neutron star merger that likely led to a black hole, as with GW170817. It seems like each value of the refractive index brings out a different layer of how light and information behave under these intense conditions.

As the merger reaches its peak and the black hole begins to form, the refractive index might be telling us something crucial about the phase velocity of light and even the possibility of superluminal information transfer.

The event horizon, often referred to as the boundary beyond which events can’t influence an observer, is central to these ideas, especially when we consider theories like Hawking Radiation.

In splitting the proposal into multiple interpretations, it’s a bit like exploring different takes on pilot wave theory, each one giving us a new way to look at the same phenomena.

By presenting the proposal through multiple interpretations, I've aimed to explore the different ways we can understand the refractive index under various conditions.

This breakdown depicts each model and its description, offering a clearer perspective on the complex dynamics at play and helping to illuminate the broader implications of the proposal.

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In traditional optics, a refractive index between 0 and 1 is unusual and not typically observed in natural materials. However, in the field of metamaterials, there has been significant theoretical and experimental work exploring materials with indices close to zero, known as epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) materials. These materials can have a refractive index near zero, which technically falls within the sub-unity range (between 0 and 1).

The sub-unity index represents a phase velocity greater than the speed of light in a vacuum, suggesting the potential for superluminal behaviour. While this remains largely a theoretical concept, the development of ENZ materials demonstrates that it is possible to engineer materials with properties approaching this range, though achieving a stable index strictly between 0 and 1 is still a challenging and cutting-edge area of research.

Therefore, while the sub-unity index is not yet a common or fully realised phenomenon in current material science, it is an area of active exploration and holds promise for future advancements in metamaterials.

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Near Zero Refractive Index Metamaterials

Epsilon-Near-Zero Metamaterials

This Element introduces the exotic wave phenomena arising from the extremely small optical refractive index, and sheds light on the underlying mechanisms, with a primary focus on the basic concepts and fundamental wave physics.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/epsilonnearzero-metamaterials/6AC18A3ED38CA61B451892D4A2956A14

Among various classes of metamaterials, the epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) and near-zero-index (NZI) structures have attracted increasing attention due to their unique features in light–matter interaction. In such structures, relative permittivity and/or relative permeability attain values near zero, thus making the effective refractive index of the structure near zero.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s42005-023-01186-0

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Negative Refractive Index Metamaterials

Currently, metamaterials with negative refractive indices are typically engineered with values between 0 and -1. These materials can bend light in unusual ways, creating effects like negative refraction. However, as of now, there are no known or widely recognised metamaterials with refractive indices less than -1. The concept of a refractive index less than -1 remains largely theoretical and would require even more advanced or exotic materials to be realised.

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Negative Refractive Index Metamaterials
Negative refractive index metamaterials refer to a situation where the effective permeability and permittivity are both negative in the same frequency window. This was initially demonstrated by Smith et al. in the microwave domain (Smith et al., 2000; Liu and Zhang, 2011; Shelby et al., 2001).

Smith used a metamaterial sample consisting of a periodic array of split-ring resonators (SRR) and wires to measure the refraction of a beam. The results of this experiment were coherent with Snell’s Law. Initially, the aforementioned experiment and its results were doubtful. However, after further testing and experimentation, the results were validated, and the presence of negative-index metamaterials was confirmed.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/materials-science/negative-index-metamaterial#:~:text=Negative%20refractive%20index%20metamaterials%20refer,et%20al.%2C%202001).

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And just to share some of the imagery that's been made along the way;

I'm happy to put my conjecture out there for theoretical falsifiability

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This proposal can potentially reconcile the concepts in string theory by integrating the idea of a photon traveling along a closed-loop path with the boundary conditions of string theory.

The photon could be seen as analogous to the endpoint of an open string, with one end satisfying the Neumann boundary condition, allowing it to move through spacetime, while the other end is pinned by the Dirichlet boundary condition, possibly at an event horizon.

This framework could be interpreted through the dynamics of D-branes, where the closed-loop path reflects the non-commutative geometry of space and the interaction with the event horizon.

Tachyon condensation, while poorly understood, could represent a phase transition where the closed-loop path of the photon is modified or stabilised by the presence of D-branes, aligning with the proposal's focus on superluminal information transfer.

In this context, the behaviour of light and information at the event horizon might involve complex interactions with the string modes, brane fluctuations, and non-abelian gauge fields, offering a new way to view the fundamental nature of spacetime and quantum dynamics.

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Superstring theory is an attempt to explain all of the particles and fundamental forces of nature in one theory by modeling them as vibrations of tiny supersymmetric strings.

'Superstring theory' is a shorthand for supersymmetric string theory because unlike bosonic string theory, it is the version of string theory that accounts for both fermions and bosons and incorporates supersymmetry to model gravity.

Since the second superstring revolution, the five superstring theories (Type I, Type IIA, Type IIB, HO and HE) are regarded as different limits of a single theory tentatively called M-theory.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superstring_theory

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This discussion delves into the intricate dynamics of the strong force as mediated by gluons within the framework of quantum chromodynamics (QCD). Central to this exploration is the conjecture that both photons and gluons, along with their respective fields, possess a string-like nature, fundamentally altering how these particles interact in extreme conditions.

We explore the inverse nature of the strong force, particularly how non-abelian gauge fields associated with the SU(3) group generate a flux tube that ensures quark confinement under normal conditions. The role of non-commutative geometry becomes significant in extreme environments, influencing the behaviour of photon strings through boundary conditions like Neumann and Dirichlet, anchored to D-branes or event horizons.

We then examine the breakdown of confinement in the formation of quark-gluon plasma (QGP) at high temperatures, and the emergence of closed-loop paths tied to topological effects such as the Aharonov–Bohm effect.

The discussion also introduces the sub-unity refractive index model, which suggests possibilities for superluminal information transfer while maintaining relativistic constraints and causality within the context of Photon-Gluon String Field Theory.

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While the SU(3) group is not explicitly part of the five traditional superstring theories, it plays a fundamental role in QCD and the Standard Model. In a unified field theory or an extension like Photon-Gluon String Field Theory, SU(3) describes the strong force interactions within the string landscape, providing a crucial link between string theory and the observable physics of the strong force.

Unlike traditional superstring theories that rely on higher-dimensional frameworks and symmetries like SO(32) and E8×E8, Photon-Gluon String Field Theory operates within a four-dimensional spacetime, maintaining relativistic constraints and causality through its careful application of boundary conditions.

This approach could be integrated into M-theory as a complementary perspective that enriches our understanding of quantum chromodynamics within the string-theoretic framework, without necessitating higher-dimensional extensions.

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BrendanFlock said:

Does a wave or vibration ever reverberate with the past?

What is the effect of history on string wave vibrations?

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redgreenvines said:

what is the max length of such a string?

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BrendanFlock said:Do waves project into the future?

If so, how fast?

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BrendanFlock said:
The duality of Time and Matter!

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redgreenvines said:

will you be surfing into the future while I sink into the sand on the beach?

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I see growing promise in these efforts to format and revise a novel approach to our questions about strings and spacetime.

Hence, there's progress in making a guide to Photon-Gluon String Field Theory.


I like to consider that there can be a careful balance between the idea of wanting something, and the recognition and reconciliation of not needing it, but I do want a more clearly comprehensible poster, and I think it's looking somewhat promising at the moment, so far.