Critical Comments on the Discussion about Tachyonic Causal Paradoxes and on the Concept of Superluminal Reference Frame
Abstract
The discussions of the tachyonic causal paradoxes and the concept of superluminal reference frame are criticized. The essence of the construction of the known paradoxes is revealed. Some possibilities of eliminating these paradoxes without contradicting the theory of relativity, are discussed. The tachyonic causal loop in an arbitrarily dimensional flat space-time is formally defined. The logical relations between assumptions on existence (or nonexistence) of the tachyonic causal loops and of inertial reference frames preferred in the tachyon kinematics are given. Such frames are not preferred in relation to bradyons and luxons, and maybe are not preferred in the dynamics of the tachyons. The theorem is proved which shows that the discussion on the tachyonic causal loops concerns also the preferred frames. The operational definitions of spacelike, timelike, and null vectors are given. It is shown that superluminal transformations and reference frames do not exist inside the theory of relativity. It is also shown that the so-called superluminal Lorentz transformations are not in fact transformations but mappings. It is concluded that the existence of tachyonic phenomena is not contradictory to the theory of relativity, while the concept of usual superluminal reference frame is contradictory to that theory.
- Publication:
-
International Journal of Theoretical Physics
- Pub Date:
- January 1984
- DOI:
- 10.1007/BF02080670
- Bibcode:
- 1984IJTP...23...27K