----- Original Message ----- From: "Alberto Monteiro" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Killer Bs Discussion" <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, November 09, 2005 11:13 AM Subject: Re: What Does 'Almost Nothing' Weigh?
> Was it dismissed the hypothesis that neutrinos had an > "imaginary" mass [i.e., they were tachions]? IIRC, the only reason anyone thought that neutrinos travel faster than light is that supernova neutrinos have been observed a very short time before the light from the supernova. There are a couple of obvious problems with this. If they go faster than light, then it is by very little, since the timing difference is only a few hours for intergalactic distances (millions of light years). Second, the timing difference is close to the same for different distances...which would not be true if the timing difference is due to speed. Third, tachions are not suppose to interact with normal matter...any interaction would be problematic...and not just with a simple virtual Z or W. A more obvious explanation was that the neutrino flux originated slightly before the light flux. That does make sense, since the star that is about to go supernova is, essentially, transparent to neutrinos, but not to other elements. For example, IIRC, it would take years after the sun stopped neutrino production for it to stop shining...the supernova process is much faster, but not really instantaneous. My memory is that the physics of this has been worked out to general satisfaction. Dan M. _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
