Is FTL in our Future? (part 2)

Yet is it possible to travel faster than light? Einstein’s theory of relativity says no. Where c represents the universal constant for the speed of light, there are a variety of theories and experiments that have been done to challenge Einstein. For instance, one such instance is something called the Cherenov Effect, where light behaves differently in a dense medium such as water or glass. In these environments, light actually slows down, and it is possible for particles to travel through these mediums faster than light. However, when we talk about FTL, we’re talking about moving faster than the speed of light in a vacuum, where c is a constant. And there’s no debating that outer space is the vacuum in which we are hoping to achieve FTL speeds. There are many other theories and discoveries that suggest traveling faster than light might be possible, however. For instance, many have suggested that the speed of gravity itself is at least as fast as c (the speed of light), and may even be able to exceed it in gravitationally bound systems. In quantum field theory, the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle suggests that virtual quantum particles can move faster than the speed of light. The EPR Paradox—published in 1935 by Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen—is another example of a theory that is still very controversial, which shows instantaneous interaction between two separated particles. There are several other examples where relativity is challenged, but these paths don’t seem to be the direction we’re headed now. Instead, we may be looking to move around relativity rather than through it…