It's light Jim, but not as we know it...

[scooterscot]

However, travelling at 0.00001% faster than light isn't any more exciting for communication than travelling AT the speed of light.

The speed is not important. Travelling through mass is however.

Light would need travel to a satellite and back for your telephone call in Sydney, a neutrino would deliver the same message in half the time.

[scooterscot]

Brian Cox's reaction:

Brian also thinks the neutrino is taking a short cut. If news of this gets out I'll have to cut my rate.

The neutrino, passes through mass without much effort perhaps one can assume the shape of space has not such a great influence to the path of a neutrino as it does light, thereby taking a shortcut.

[d000hg]

The speed is not important. Travelling through mass is however.

Light would need travel to a satellite and back for your telephone call in Sydney, a neutrino would deliver the same message in half the time.

Indeed. But it has naff all to do with this news except for the word "neutrino"

[doodab]

If that were possible to build neutrino transmitter / receiver, satellites would become obsolete overnight.

They would still be useful for sensing, imaging, measurement, gps, broadcast etc. Not to mention mobile comms. Lining up a neutrino beam from a moving vehicle would probably be quite difficult.

[scooterscot]

They would still be useful for sensing, imaging, measurement, gps, broadcast etc. Not to mention mobile comms. Lining up a neutrino beam from a moving vehicle would probably be quite difficult.

Ok, communication satellites.

[doodab]

The speed is not important. Travelling through mass is however.

Light would need travel to a satellite and back for your telephone call in Sydney, a neutrino would deliver the same message in half the time.

Almost no voice traffic travels by satellite links, it goes via submarine cables. A particle beam that could travel through the earth would be quicker than light down a cable, due to the shorter route, and potentially a beam of neutrinos wouldn't require repeater stations. It could actually work out cheaper as well as quicker. Question is how do you modulate it if it doesn't really interact with other matter much?

[scooterscot]

Question is how do you modulate it if it doesn't really interact with other matter much?

Simple. Modulate the transmitter ergo the particle.

[stek]

Answer me this.

Light particles hit our retinas from the source, at the speed of light, ok? So presumably the light waves must have accelerated to light speed from zero. If so does it take time to accelerate to light speed and how does it know when to stop?

This either a brilliant question or numpy post of the decade...

[TimberWolf]

It'd be funny if neutrinos were not only unhindered by matter, but actually went faster going through it

[Paddy]

Almost no voice traffic travels by satellite links, it goes via submarine cables. A particle beam that could travel through the earth would be quicker than light down a cable, due to the shorter route, and potentially a beam of neutrinos wouldn't require repeater stations. It could actually work out cheaper as well as quicker. Question is how do you modulate it if it doesn't really interact with other matter much?

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