The Tachyon Nexus: An Educational Resource on Tachyons and Time Travel

Robert Ehrlich1 1George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030∗ (Dated: January 6, 2020) A web site “The Tachyon Nexus” (no relation to Tachyon Nexus Inc) is described. This web site (http://ehrlich.physics.gmu.edu) includes much reliable information about the controversial subjects of time travel and faster-than-light particles known as tachyons mostly from a physics point of view. This compendium of various resources should be of great value both to students seeking to learn about these subjects or to high school teachers or college professors wishing to include them in their teaching on special or general relativity.

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There have been numerous articles[1–9]on the hypo- tantalizing possibility because Einstein ruled out faster- thetical tachyon in physics education journals including than light particles in his first relativity paper, and who one in The Physics Teacher.[4] In fact, the very first ar- wouldnt like to disprove something Albert said. ticle on the subject in 1962 appeared in an education There are further reasons both for bringing science fic- journal,[9] since it was regarded as too speculative for tion into physics courses, and also for physics students the research journal to which it was originally submitted. and faculty to read science fiction on their own. It is note- Most theorists today regard faster-than-light tachyons as worthy, for example, that both the author and Gerald being non-existent for many reasons, not the least of Feinberg the very physicist who gave the name tachyons which is the possibility they might allow you to send to faster-than-light particles were aware of the topic way messages back in time, and they might even make the through science fiction stories.[15] Morever astrophysi- universe unstable! Despite these obnoxious properties cist Richard Gott has shown that science fiction writ- there is another type of tachyon that is commonly used ers have been surprisingly prescient in exploring ideas in field theories, including the one behind the Higgs bo- that have proven to be topics of serious investigation son. Of course, the existence of the faster-than-light of time travel among scientists. [16] As a prime ex- tachyon is a matter for experiment to decide, despite the ample, ten years before relativity H. G. Wells wrote his opinions of theorists. There have been previous searches epic novel The Time Machine, in which the protagonist for tachyons, and one claim in 2011 for faster-than light discusses what would later be called worldlines through neutrinos was later retracted when they discovered a four-dimensional spacetime. There is no evidence that loose cable in the timing circuit. However, such nega- Hermann Minkowski got these very ideas from reading tive searches cannot rule out tachyons any more than or hearing about Wells novel, but it is certainly within negative searches for ET can rule out the existence of the realm of the possible. intelligent aliens, so the status of tachyons continues to be unsettled as of now. As is well known, the topics of time travel and faster- than-light speeds are closely connected. This connection Even if tachyons are in the hypothetical realm, sus- is well-established in popular imagination, through A. pended between fact and fiction, there is considerable H. Reginald Butlers famous limerick,[17] several popular value in bringing science fiction topics into physics television series, and many movies. One-way time travel courses.[10–14] This is especially true in courses for lib- to the future is certainly possible based on the time di- eral arts majors, and for that sort of science fiction topics lation effect, even though it will be a while before space- that might become science fact someday. By adding el- ships achieve the speeds needed to have a space traveling ements of controversy and speculation to teaching about twin age very much less than their stay-at-home twin. arXiv:2001.00225v2 [physics.ed-ph] 3 Jan 2020 our well-established theories like relativity, we show stu- Time travel to the past, however, like tachyons remains dents that physics is a living enterprise, and much re- controversial in physics, but there have been many papers mains unsettled. Hypothetical entities like tachyons or written about it, and some of the worlds leading physi- wormhole time machines can be more stimulating for stu- cists, including Stephen Hawking have remained open to dents to read about than well-established entities like the its possibility, despite his original skepticism.[18] Higgs boson because they can imagine themselves making Many students will try to learn about subjects like the great discovery that establishes their existence, and tachyons and time travel by browsing the web, which can who knows maybe they will. Tachyons are an especially be quite risky given the many questionable web sites deal- ing with such highly controversial subjects. Web brows- ing to learn about tachyons is particularly risky, given the considerable amount of nonsense connected to so-called ∗Electronic address: [email protected] tachyon energy and tachyon healing, and the many com- 2 mercial products that have given the very word a bad quently asked questions (with answers) about tachyons name. Aside from the reasonably accurate Wikipedia and time travel, the up-to-date status of current research page on tachyons, there is nearly a complete absence of on tachyons, and links to various other web sites. It also web sites that treat the subject in a serious way. Similarly includes a blog where users can launch discussions about a search for serious web sites dealing with time travel in issues related to tachyons amongst themselves. As some- physics that go beyond an article on the subject yields one who has done research on the subject of tachyons, very little, again beyond a wikipedia page. I believe that I have built a site that is authoritatively For this reason, I have created The Tachyon Nexus, a correct, accessible to both students and teachers, and not (not always serious) web site where both physics stu- excessively biased. I do, however, plead guilty in believ- dents and physics teachers can learn more about the ing that the world of physics may be in for one very big two subjects of tachyons and time travel. The web site surprise in the coming year or two concerning the exis- includes slide presentations at several levels, many fre- tence of tachyons.

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