[Noir]

Headline: Faster-than-light neutrino measurement has two possible errors
Date: February 22, 2012
Description: Scientists hypothesize that either an optic cable connecting a GPS unit to a receiver is the cause for a 60-ns discrepancy from the speed of light, or the measurement of the passage of time between the two atomic clocks used in the experiment was probably done incorrectly.
Link: http://blogs.nature....ble-errors.html

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The OPERA collaboration, which made headlines in September with the revolutionary claim to have clocked neutrinos traveling faster than the speed of light, has identified two possible sources of error in its experiment. If true its result would have violated Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity, a cornerstone of modern physics.

OPERA had collected data suggesting that neutrinos generated at CERN near Geneva and sent 730 kilometers to its detector Gran Sasso National Laboratory were arriving 60 nanoseconds faster than a light beam would take to travel the same distance. Many physicists were skeptical but the measurement appeared to be carefully done and reached a statistically significant level.

But according to a statement OPERA began circulating today, two possible problems have now been found with its set-up. As many physicists had speculated might be the case, both are related to the experiment’s pioneering use of Global Positioning System (GPS) signals to synchronize atomic clocks at each end of its neutrino beam. First, the passage of time on the clocks between the arrival of the synchronizing signal has to be interpolated and OPERA now says this may not have been done correctly. Second, there was a possible faulty connection between the GPS signal and the OPERA master clock.

An anonymously sourced account on Science Insider today broke the news that OPERA may have made a mistake . That report says the faulty connection can account exactly for the 60 nanosecond effect. OPERA’s official statement stops short of that, saying instead that its two possible sources of error point in opposite directions and it is still working things out. Its statement reads in full:

“The OPERA Collaboration, by continuing its campaign of verifications on the neutrino velocity measurement, has identified two issues that could significantly affect the reported result. The first one is linked to the oscillator used to produce the events time-stamps in between the GPS synchronizations. The second point is related to the connection of the optical fiber bringing the external GPS signal to the OPERA master clock.

These two issues can modify the neutrino time of flight in opposite directions. While continuing our investigations, in order to unambiguously quantify the effect on the observed result, the Collaboration is looking forward to performing a new measurement of the neutrino velocity as soon as a new bunched beam will be available in 2012. An extensive report on the above mentioned verifications and results will be shortly made available to the scientific committees and agencies.”

Caren Hagner, a member of OPERA at the University of Hamburg in Germany, says “For the moment the collaboration decided not to make a quantitative statement, because we have to recheck and discuss the findings more thoroughly.”

At Fermilab, members of the MINOS collaboration (Main Injector Neutrino Oscillation Search) continue to try to make their own independent measurement of the speed of neutrinos, with initial results expected later this year.

So there you go. Either the rules of Einsteinian physics have to be rewritten, or it could have possibly just been a loose cable. What sounds more reasonable?

I mean, I'm not putting off the hypothesis that it was really faster than light just yet -- they still need to run more tests to see what the proper cause was. But when it looks like there's an explanation that doesn't require as many new unproven assumptions...

[Davros]

I wouldn't be surprised if the neutrinos are faster than light. They are pretty insane things. *knows a bit about neutrinos*

[Scintilli]

Shad, on 22 February 2012 - 05:42 PM, said:

I wouldn't be surprised if the neutrinos are faster than light. They are pretty insane things. *knows a bit about neutrinos*

Well let's see, when Neutrinos pretty much came from the start of the Universe, it shouldn't be surprising that they're by faster then light.

[Chev]

Zhivago, on 23 February 2012 - 08:42 AM, said:

Shad, on 22 February 2012 - 05:42 PM, said:

I wouldn't be surprised if the neutrinos are faster than light. They are pretty insane things. *knows a bit about neutrinos*

Well let's see, when Neutrinos pretty much came from the start of the Universe, it shouldn't be surprising that they're by faster then light.

Depends on what "start of creation" theory you're subscribing to.

But anyway, I thought there was a catch when I heard about the experiment originally. It's going to take a lot to debunk Einstein!

[Scintilli]

Chev, on 23 February 2012 - 02:52 PM, said:

Zhivago, on 23 February 2012 - 08:42 AM, said:

Shad, on 22 February 2012 - 05:42 PM, said:

I wouldn't be surprised if the neutrinos are faster than light. They are pretty insane things. *knows a bit about neutrinos*

Well let's see, when Neutrinos pretty much came from the start of the Universe, it shouldn't be surprising that they're by faster then light.

Depends on what "start of creation" theory you're subscribing to.

But anyway, I thought there was a catch when I heard about the experiment originally. It's going to take a lot to debunk Einstein!

Meh, I believe in connection between science and such.

Mmhmm. The only place where Einstein's theory of Relativity is void is in a Black Hole(I.E. Singularity)