The hypothetical faster-than-light particle known as the tachyon may marry with the special theory of relativity, according to a team of physicists, making their existence more plausible.
Tachyons are a type of hypothetical particle, meaning its existence remains a matter of speculation.
The tachyon is also proposed to be superliminal, meaning it always travels faster than light.
But nothing can move faster than light…right?
The short answer is no, nothing can exceed the speed of light: 983,571,056 feet per second, or 299,792,458 meters per second. The longer answer is that it’s complicated; for example, quasiparticles created by clouds of electrons act as if they travel faster than light, though they do not.
And while we’re musing on hypotheticals: If some other intelligent beings in the universe have figured out how to travel faster than light, evidence of their triumph may be detectable in the gravitational ripples produced by their technology, as proposed by a recent team of physicists.
Like the tachyon itself, the work is very speculative. But such is the domain of these hypothetical particles. Researching stuff that moves faster than light was always going to require some imagination.