Comments on: Neutrino Communication

By: micwat

micwat — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 23:37:15 +0000

The latest from CERN is that an attempt to replicate faster than light neutrinos have not done so: http://www.universetoday.com/94203/neutrinos-obey-the-speed-limit-after-all/
This confirms your statement:” (Reports of neutrinos traveling faster than the speed of light have been premature, and will likely not pan out.)”

By: Karl Withakay

Karl Withakay — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 14:31:49 +0000

My nit has been picked!

The Earth imparts just as much gravitational acceleration to a neutrino as it does on any other object at the same distance.

The Earth exerts just as much gravitational force on a neutrino as it does on any other object of the same mass at the same distance.”

F=G (m1 m2)/r^2

F=m2 a

a= G M1 /r^2

Physics 101

It’s generally a good idea to review a comment before clicking submit, especially one you decided to re-word part of.

By: Karl Withakay

Karl Withakay — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 14:19:57 +0000

I_am_landruon

“Actually, it the acceleration that is the same. the force is directly proportional to the mass–the greater the mass, the greater the force.”

Doh! yes thanks for the correction. I know better than that.

By: robm

robm — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 23:06:04 +0000

This experiment was a neat trick, but neutrino communication will probably never have a practical application. There is only one communication channel that allows only one transmitter to send signals at one time, at least within the range of the system communication system. Gaining more understanding of neutrino oscillation may allow up to 3 channels but that still limits the available options of a communications system.

The experiment the researchers conducted didn’t seem like a huge breakthrough in technology either. The OPERA experiment detects neutrino pulses from CERN, and when they appeared to detect FTL neutrinos they adjusted the pulses to try to eliminate a source of error. Adjusting equipment to send 1s and 0s seems like a matter of getting one’s hands on a source and a detector.

By: thunderbird

thunderbird — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 21:02:35 +0000

“To further clarify my nitpick, the gravitational interaction between a neutrino and another object is only negligible if the mass of the other object is not very large, like that of a planet. The Earth exerts just as much gravitational force on a neutrino as it does on any other object at the same distance.”

As much as any other object at the same distance? I assume you meant “any object of the same mass.”

Nitpick not lest your own nits be picked.

By: locutusbrg

locutusbrg — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 17:39:54 +0000

You mean neutrinos are not going to microwave the core of the earth resulting in massive tectonic plate movement and extinction level natural disasters. Apparently the calender I bought at the Tikal ruins were wrong.
Oh well I am sure I will get my neutrino detector at the same time I get my Tachyon detection grid.

By: I_am_landru

I_am_landru — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 17:22:25 +0000

Actually, it the acceleration that is the same. the force is directly proportional to the mass–the greater the mass, the greater the force.

By: Karl Withakay

Karl Withakay — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 15:40:23 +0000

“but as you say this interaction is negligible.”

To further clarify my nitpick, the gravitational interaction between a neutrino and another object is only negligible if the mass of the other object is not very large, like that of a planet. The Earth exerts just as much gravitational force on a neutrino as it does on any other object at the same distance.

By: I_am_landru

I_am_landru — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 15:37:56 +0000

Steve: I think photons might disagree with that.

By: Steven Novella

Steven Novella — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 15:07:19 +0000

Karl – thanks. If they have a teeny tiny mass, then that is true, but as you say this interaction is negligible.