VSL (Variable Speed of Light) Relativity

[Perfectly Innocent]

Joao Magueijo asserts in his book, “Faster Than the Speed of Light: The Story of a Scientific Speculation”, Perseus Publishing, 2003, that revisions to special relativity that do not contradict the relativity of motion are possible.

IT’S DIFFICULT to sum up where VSL stands, as I finish this book, because it is still well within the maelstrom of scientific inquiry. VSL is now an umbrella for many different theories, all predicting, in one way or another, that the speed of light is not constant, and that revisions to special relativity are required. Some of these theories contradict the relativity of motion—for example, the model Andy and I first proposed—but others don’t. Some predict that the speed of light varies in space-time, such as my Lorentz-invariant VSL theory and Moffat’s theory.” (p. 256).
Judging from the pages I’ve read I don’t believe Magueijo’s claim for a minute. I am fairly confident that I can refute it easily. All I need is for someone to exhibit a concrete example—an explicit transformation equation—expressing how space-time events transform in different “inertial” frames of reference, preserving the principle of relativity. Out of all you researchers, and from the vast collection of VSL papers, does anyone here know how to write down even one of these alleged transforms explicitly for the easy case of one spatial dimension?

[Perfectly Innocent]

Joao Magueijo asserts in his book, “Faster Than the Speed of Light: The Story of a Scientific Speculation”, Perseus Publishing, 2003, that revisions to special relativity that do not contradict the relativity of motion are possible.

IT’S DIFFICULT to sum up where VSL stands, as I finish this book, because it is still well within the maelstrom of scientific inquiry. VSL is now an umbrella for many different theories, all predicting, in one way or another, that the speed of light is not constant, and that revisions to special relativity are required. Some of these theories contradict the relativity of motion—for example, the model Andy and I first proposed—but others don’t. Some predict that the speed of light varies in space-time, such as my Lorentz-invariant VSL theory and Moffat’s theory.” (p. 256).
Judging from the pages I’ve read I don’t believe Magueijo’s claim for a minute. I am fairly confident that I can refute it easily. All I need is for someone to exhibit a concrete example—an explicit transformation equation—expressing how space-time events transform in different “inertial” frames of reference, preserving the principle of relativity. Out of all you researchers, and from the vast collection of VSL papers, does anyone here know how to write down even one of these alleged transforms explicitly for the easy case of one spatial dimension?

[Fernanda]

The only time I\'ve heard the possibility of light not being constant was when they published some results from the background radiation possibly pointing to the fine structure constant not being so constant during the early universe....

But that research is also on somewhat shaky foundation whereas many people have not been able to reproduce the results.

Frankly, I haven\'t kept up, but VSL?...well that\'s news to me. Who is this guy anyway? A prof somewhere?

[Fernanda]

The only time I\'ve heard the possibility of light not being constant was when they published some results from the background radiation possibly pointing to the fine structure constant not being so constant during the early universe....

But that research is also on somewhat shaky foundation whereas many people have not been able to reproduce the results.

Frankly, I haven\'t kept up, but VSL?...well that\'s news to me. Who is this guy anyway? A prof somewhere?

[Perfectly Innocent]

Magueijo \"received his doctorate from Cambridge, has been a faculty member at Princeton and Cambridge, and is currently a professor at Imperial College, London.\" (http://frontwheeldrive.com/joao_magueijo.html)

[Fernanda]

Good for him...but does he have any equations?

Anyone can question Einstein, but without backing it up with equations, it\'s only supposition.

[Fernanda]

According to some people, he\'s a whino... this is only the first website I\'ve read about his book....

Link to review (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0738205257/qid=1043083533/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/002-9428722-0719245?v=glance&s=books&n=507846)

Another good link (http://www2.rz.hu-berlin.de/Content-TV/NewFiles/level2johnclarkbookreview7.html)

Joao Magueijo\'s website (http://theory.ic.ac.uk/~magueijo/)

You\'d think that due to the lack of equations in his book, he\'d have some additional equations in his website...perhaps with a list of published papers...but it seems not.
His affiliation with John Wheeler might suggest he\'s legitimate, yet, Wheeler is a little old, and might not have all of his faculties...

[Edited on 9-30-2003 by Fernanda]

[physics137]

What I\'ve heard is this guy goes around insulting other scientists - if I remember correctly he called someone a fruitcake or something like that. Then somehow he got Wheeler, who\'s well up into his 80\'s, probably pushing 90, to say that maybe not all of his work was a crock of crap...

Or maybe I have him confused with someone else, but I remember reading an article in the NY Times about him and that was the impression I got.

[Perfectly Innocent]

Originally posted by Fernanda
You\'d think that due to the lack of equations in his book, he\'d have some additional equations in his website...perhaps with a list of published papers...but it seems not.Look here. (http://theory.ic.ac.uk/~magueijo/vsl.html)

[primodamadalena]

this book is for general public, about the history behind this theory, VSL. the mathematical arguments were published in a major magazine, i don´t remember which one. not nature.

[Fernanda]

but is it a refereed journal? otherwise, I really wont want to spend my time reading VSL in the \"Inquirer\" next to the \"Alien Baby\"

[lysdexia]

try Nanopoulos (http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&lr=&safe=off&q=light+speed+Nanopoulos&btnG=Search)
<hr>
Futurama: A Clone Of My Own Uncut (http://www.geocities.com/theneutralplanet/transcripts/uncut/2ACV10.html)
Farnsworth: These are the dark matter engine I invented. They allow my starship to travel between galaxies in mere hours.

Cubert: That\'s impossible. You can\'t go faster than the speed of light.

Farnsworth: Of course not. That\'s why scientists increased the speed of light in 2208.

Cubert: Also impossible.

[Scene: Ship\'s Engine Room. Farnsworth admires the dark matter engines.]

Farnsworth: And what makes my engines truly remarkable is the afterburner which delivers 200% fuel efficiency.

Cubert: That\'s especially impossible.

Farnsworth: Not at all. It\'s very simple.

Cubert: Then explain it.

Farnsworth: Now that\'s impossible. It came to me in a dream and I forgot it in another dream.

Cubert: Your explainations are pure weapons grade balognium. It\'s all impossible.

Farnsworth: Nothing is impossible. Not if you can imagine it. That\'s what being is a scientist is all about.

Cubert: No, that\'s what being a magical elf is all about.
<hr>
Alternate View Column: FTL Photons (http://www.npl.washington.edu/AV/altvw43.html)

[Edited on 27,Thu.01,Jan.2005 by lysdexia]

[Fernanda]

LOL

[baloco]

Something to read about this subject:

http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/astro-ph/pdf/0305/0305457v3.pdf

[baryon]

Magueijo...VSL...? Malarky. The fact that he's a professor at Cambridge doesn't mean a thing? Magueijo is basing his claims on something that is pure speculation anyway. He has not produced any facts that can't be interpereted differently.