Here's an experiment that disproves Ritzian theory : take an unstable berylium nucleus comprising two helium nuclei, accelerate it to 90.75% of the speed of light, and observe the speed of the decay products. Two helium nuclei are emitted at .5% the speed of light; if Ritzian theory is correct, one of them will break the speed of light. Show me an experiment along these lines which shows Relativistic velocity addition which appears sound and I will give up, and concede to Relativity (Thanks to discussions with MW developing this experiment).

This approaches the ideal of the "cannon ball" exploding and conserving Galilean velocities. Very few experiments approach this ideal. Yes, you have the Compton effect, where particles are jostled by photons. But what are photons ? You need a theoretical model to start with. And you have interactions which generate particles - but particle generation is far removed from a simple situation with a direct Galiliean analogue.

I'd imagine you'd use time of flight detectors - how would the passage of a particle travelling faster than the speed of light be observered ? We assume that electrical fields would still propagate, and we could measure its speed in much the same way as two observers could measure the speed of a passing supersonic aircraft by when they hear the sonic boom and subtracting those times, even though the boom travels to them at the speed of sound.

Speaking of sonic booms, perhaps the FTL particles would emit Cerenkov radiation ? Perhaps they would slow down to the speed of light quite rapidly, but the burst of Cerenkov radiation would be evidence for their evanescent existence ?

Well, who knows.

Next : 12. Links, other workers, and other theories

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