Is Cherenkov radiation faster-than-light?
The Cherenkov radiation in cases such as this is caused by electrons from the reactor traveling at speeds greater than the speed of light in water, which is 75 percent of the speed of light in a vacuum. The energetic charged particle traveling through the medium displaces electrons in some of the atoms along its path.
Why can nothing travel faster than the speed of light?
The universal speed limit, which we commonly call the speed of light, is fundamental to the way the universe works. Therefore, this tells us that nothing can ever go faster than the speed of light, for the simple reason that space and time do not actually exist beyond this point.
Can something with no mass travel faster-than-light?
The special theory of relativity implies that only particles with zero rest mass (i.e., photons) may travel at the speed of light, and that nothing may travel faster.
Does a neutrino travel faster than light?
Five different teams of physicists have now independently verified that elusive subatomic particles called neutrinos do not travel faster than light.
Who said nothing can travel faster than light?
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein has a famous loophole in the special theory of relativity that could predict faster-than-light travel. When Albert Einstein said that nothing travels faster than the speed of light, he didn’t talk about objects that could already be traveling faster than light.
Is Cherenkov radiation harmful?
But most people consider that harm pretty low. However, Cherenkov radiation is caused by high energy particles passing through matter faster than the speed of light for that matter. Those high energy particles are likely to be harmful to people. This is why people are not supposed to be near an active fission reactor.
Why do nuclear reactors glow blue?
And because of the properties of this radiation, the photons that you see are of higher frequencies (shorter wavelengths). The shorter the wavelength, the more blue the light appears. This is why nuclear reactors glow. The charged particles that they emit travel through water faster than light normally would.
What is the Cherenkov effect?
Cherenkov effect. The Cherenkov effect caused electromagnetic radiation to be emitted when a charged particle passed through an electrical insulator at a speed greater than the speed of light in that medium.