Einstein’s special theory of relativity affirms that nothing and no one can travel faster than light. Unless…
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The principle was stated by Albert Einstein in the 19thand century. According to him, it is not physically possible to exceed the speed of light in a vacuum (around 300,000 km/s).
According to the theory of Relativity, an object that experiences an acceleration gains mass. By accelerating to a speed of some 300,000 km/s, it would thus potentially acquire infinite mass. However, for an object to accelerate, it must be supplied withenergya energy all the more important as the object is heavy! The speed of light in the void therefore seems well out of reach…
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Speed of light and the Cerenkov effect
In 1958, the physicist Russian Pavel Cerenkov won the Nobel Prize for discovering a phenomenon named after him. The Cerenkov effect occurs when a particle moves faster than light… in a given medium. All is relative. If a particle cannot exceed the speed of light in a vacuum, it can travel faster than light in some media.
Like an airplane crossing the Wall of sound then emits a characteristic noise, a particle which exceeds the speed of light emits an intense and bluish light, the Cerenkov radiation.
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