Faster than light

I have been thinking about Einsteins theory of Relativity and what it truly means.

According to Einstein, nothing can exceed the speed of light. However, Einstein proved that space is curved, and so light must "bend" or "Warp" around objects in accord with their gravitational field. What this means, of course, is that the speed of light can NOT be a constant. Let me explain why :

We know that in the case of a black hole, nothing can escape it...not even light. This means that its field is pulling on the light waves and particles within light. Just saying this makes it clear that force is being applied to alter the speed and direction of light....ergo, the force within the black hole must be faster than light.

According to our understanding of black hole's, the only thing capable of escaping the black hole is hawking radiation. So...if hawking radiation can escape a black hole and light cannot, it stands to reason that hawking radiation is traveling faster than light.

Imagine then a spacecraft with a hawking radiation propulsion system. By definition, it would have to travel faster than light. Without a black hole to pull against it...there is no telling just how fast it could go.

Just a little random thought I had in the night. Thought I'd share it with you all.

Jennifer Wolf

thank for your random thought maybe the CERN partical accelerator research is the first step to the design of this kind of propulsion system.

reply to post by Jenwolf


I don't think anything escapes the black hole.
Hawking's radiation does not pass the event horizon.

beyond general revativity is becoming a more complete theory than just general relativity. the event horizon posses heat and emits radiation.

Nice OP, I too have thought the same thing. I may be wrong but I think Hawking radiation is explained as an "observational" effect but not light/radiation being emitted. I once had it explained to me as the light was being pulled in so quickly that a negative effect would be observed. I try to visualize it like i do with electricity, one way of thinking about it is, as the potential of difference is being created within a circuit, the electrons move through holes, or spaces with a lack of electrons. The other way can be looked at the electrons don’t move but the holes themselves move into the space occupied by the electron. I visualize the latter when thinking about Hawking radiation. I personally have a hard time believing that because how could light be pulled faster than its universal constant. If it is not, then why don’t we notice the same effect with all light in all spaces? But that’s assuming Einstein is correct, and there are no more additions pertaining to light. Personally I believe physics is dynamic and can only be equated in states and locations. All in all it proves or Denys nothing you suggest just trying to throw in some things to think about.

reply to post by Jenwolf


Thought I'd add this to show that said radiation is outside the event horizon.

" from theEncyclopædia BritannicaHawking radiation, Radiation theoretically emitted from just outside the event horizon of a black hole. Stephen W. Hawking proposed in 1974 that subatomic particle pairs (photons, neutrinos, and some massive particles) arising naturally near the event horizon may result in one particle’s escaping the vicinity of the black hole while the other particle, of negative energy, disappears into it. The flow of particles of negative energy into the black hole reduces its mass until it disappears completely in a final burst of radiation."

reply to post by Jenwolf


it is worth noting that if a theory is talked about for long enough and often enough by "learned people", and given sufficient media coverage, it tends to become the norm and accepted by one and all.

black holes have not been absolutely proven and remain a hypothesis only. just as the big bang theory is a hypothesis and refuted by many astro physicists.

but this does not mean that something cannot be faster than light. thought probably is.

i would like to introduce the theory of white holes, for every negitive there appears to be a positive. there is a theory that all black holes will combine into one great hole drawing in all the matter in our universe, then explode into another big bang.

The force is gravity and yes in a sense gravity is faster than light. Gravity affects space time without needed to "travel". It is a force that permiates instantly. Gravity has always facinated me, I have read alot on it and I still dont know what exactly it is. Obviously all of us know the cause and effect of gravity but the conceptual side of it is very perplexing.

Einstein admitted in the year 1935 that something is obviously faster than light, but that it can be excluded mathematically. This is called EPR-Paradox.

In newer quantum physics Nils Bohr showed that time and space is a bit different than Einstein thought. But I'm unable to explain it. Even if I would be interested in quantum physics I could not put it in nice words (my English is not very good).

I have read that an idea for a warp drive will work by contracting the space in front of a craft as well as expanding the space behind. This is in effect moving space around you rather than moving through space.

An article on the idea:
EE Times - News & Analysis: Star Trek warp drive in the work

There is also a detailed paper on the idea for those that like to get into the nitty gritty
Warp Drive: A new approach

I've never looked into it but what propels a photon anyway? What keeps it going, and going, and going?

Conversely, a photon is mighty tiny...so holding it back shouldn't be that difficult either.

Nice post though...makes you think.

Einstein actually said that nothing can accelerate to the speed of light because it's mass would become infinite.

Id like to see the countysize computer that calculates the path
of a curved/bent space or wormhole..
I aggre to the possibillty for bending space or creating WH´s.
But atleast I would like to be able to plan my trip..

Sure with quantum computation it could be smaller..Like a city.
But we still have the problem of attitude...PPL´s attitude..

If i were to create a ship that can travel to other stars in a short amount of
time, id like a gazillion trillion dollars...