[meteorite-list] Second experiment confirms faster-than-light particles
From: Matson, Robert D. <ROBERT.D.MATSON_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri, 18 Nov 2011 15:44:06 -0800 Message-ID: <9180F6B27399C541B10663E21C8BDE92033A15B1_at_0461-its-exmb09.us.saic.com> Hi Phil, It was my understanding that the mystery of the CERN faster-than- light-speed neutrino result was solved over a month ago: failure to account for the relativistic motion of the GPS clocks used to time the neutrinos. GPS satellites orbit in planes inclined 55 degrees relative to the equator, coincidentally somewhat parallel to the neutrino flight path bearing on the ground. From the satellite's perspective, both the positions of the neutrino source and the neutrino detector are changing: in this particular case, from the perspective of the GPS clock, the detector is moving towards the neutrino source, and consequently the distance travelled by the particles -- as measured in the frame of the clock -- is shorter than the distance measured on the ground. As a result, the neutrinos should arrive about 32 nanoseconds early: an amount that must be doubled because the same error occurs at each end of the experiment. So the total correction is 64 nanoseconds: almost exactly what the OPERA team observed. If they ran the experiment a second time and got the same result, it seems to me that it is only confirming a prediction of special relativity. --Rob Received on Fri 18 Nov 2011 06:44:06 PM PST |
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