4/14/2006
The Real Definition of Einstein’s “c”
In Einstein’s famous equation E=mc2 “c” has always been considered a constant and equal to the speed of light. Now the theory of Loop Quantum Gravity (LQG) predicts that high-energy photons travel faster than lower energy photons making the speed of light variable. This theory will be tested by the Gamma ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST), which is scheduled to be launched in August 2007. Does that mean that Einstein was wrong? Probably not…
Einstein intended c to be the maximum speed in the universe and since the speed of light is so close to c it would be easy to confuse the two. In recent years scientists have began to accept that both time and space are digital. Wolfram discuses this at some length in his book A New Kind of Science. If time and space are both digital then there must be a smallest unit of time, and a smallest unit of Space. That then would make the maximum speed in the universe the smallest unit of space (smallest distance) divided by the smallest unit of time. If ds = the smallest unit of distance and ts = the smallest unit of time then c = ds/ts not the speed of light.
To visualize this a little more easily pretend that the smallest unit of distance is 30 miles and the smallest unit of time is 1 hour and that you have a supper fast racecar. Now we put that racecar in one of these 30 mile, smallest units of space with a starter who has a red flag. When he drops the red flag the driver guns the engine, and because the car is super fast it will seem to the driver that he arrives at the other end of this smallest unit of space instantly. The starter however will observe something altogether different. He will see the car travel the 30 miles in one hour (the smallest unit of time) To him the car would have traveled at 30 mph, the maximum speed in this imaginary unit of space.
In our real universe c = ds/ts and it would be constant throughout the universe unless there are places in the universe where ds or ts vary.
If GLAST confirms what LQG predicts, that photons move at varying speeds then we will have evidence that photons are not pure energy, but rather have at least some small amount of mass, and it is this mass that determines and limits their speed.