chrisstevens said:
There are quite a few things in the universe faster than light.
One is the early expansion called Inflation after the Big Bang.
Another is the rate at which matter falls into a Black Hole, hence light cannot escape a Black Hole because it is travelling too slowly.
There are also faster than light events at the quantum level, some of which appear to happen at infinite speed, ie simultaneously.
Incorrect:
1)
Inflation - "In an early time after the Big Bang, there is evidence that the universe expanded at speeds greater than light. But special relativity was not violated, because this was an expansion of SPACE and no matter or information was carried between two points at faster than light speed. General relativity allows inflation to be incorporated into Big Bang cosmology."[footnote]NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center[/footnote]
2)
Black Hole - the forces may equal, but not exceed, the speed of light: "To be 'sucked' into a black hole, one has to cross inside the Schwarzschild radius. At this radius, the escape speed is equal to the speed of light, and once light passes through, even it cannot escape."[footnote] NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center[/footnote]
3)
Quantum Physics
a)
Tunneling - "The photons don't violate relativity: it's just a question of interpretation. Steinberg explains Nimtz and Stahlhofen's observations by way of analogy with a 20-car bullet train departing Chicago for New York. The stopwatch starts when the centre of the train leaves the station, but the train leaves cars behind at each stop. So when the train arrives in New York, now comprising only two cars, its centre has moved ahead, although the train itself hasn't exceeded its reported speed."[footnote] New Scientist - 18 August 2007[/footnote]
"... the tunneling time is given by a credible expression, which approaches a constant for thick barriers, implying an issue concerning superluminal propagation. However, I have argued that physical causality is not violated." [footnote]P.C.W. Davies. Quantum Tunneling Time[/footnote]
b)
Quantum Entanglement - "... quantum entanglement still does not imply faster than light communication. You cannot affect which state the particle goes into, even though it doesn't 'decide' on its state until you observe it."[footnote]Astronomy Department, Cornell University[/footnote]
