Light speed limit set by dark matter?

[Shayu]

I have tried as hard as I am able to get a grasp on the complex laws of physics that define our universe, though I'm sure my knowledge of the subject is actually quite minuscule. I have been wanting to begin work on a sci-fi novel, however I'm determined to think of my own unique (at least relatively) form of FTL travel before I do. I have theorized that light's speed limit could be set by ever present cold dark matter, it seems this could be plausible as i recall reading somewhere that light travels slightly faster in some parts of the universe than in others (where there could be an unusually low amount of cold dark matter.) I don't want to get too attached to this theory as the basis for my FTL travel if it's simple nonsense, but I'm not a physics master so I'm not sure.

 

Could someone tell me if this theory is at least plausible? If not could you explain what is that does define light's static speed limit?

 

Edit: Now that I'm thinking of it, since everything in physics is relative to light and we don't know what dark matter is it certainly seems as though cold dark matter could be a limiting factor. Still tell me if I'm missing something here.

 

I've been doing some more research and it certainly seems to remain plausible, all electromagnetic waves travel at "c" except for apparently very rare anomalies observed in space. So it travels at c, but why? Still doesn't seem to be dis-proven that cold dark matter is the culprit.

 

Cold dark matter doesn't interact with electromagnetism which is why it's invisible, but perhaps it interacts with it in some non-traditional or highly minuscule way?

Edited November 28, 2012 by Shayu

[swansont]

If it were to rely on it, one might expect c to vary with the density of the dark matter, and that's contrary to what we see.

[Spyman]

I am not an expert but AFAIK there is no connection between the constancy for the speed of light and dark matter.

 

What dark matter constitutes of is an unsolved physics problem that major efforts are put into solving, but it is NOT something MAGIC. In the simplest of all explanations cold dark matter is materia that is cold and dark and why would cold and dark matter have more influence on the constancy for the speed of light than warm or bright matter? (Granted there are differences between baryonic and nonbaryonic matter and dark matter could consist of some new exotic type of matter or could hypothetically be something entirely else.)

 

Science don't know why there is a maximum speed of light or any reasons for the value it has. The constancy for the speed of light is an inherent property of the Universe and questions of why the Universe exists and have those properties is probably better suited for the philosofy or religion sections.

 

According to current knowledge, (the theory of relativity), photons always propagate locally with the speed of light through vacuum.

 

Dark matter is thought to interact through gravity and possibly weakly with electromagnetic radiation. Gravity bends light but doesn't slow it down.

 

 

My advice would be to make your own 'theory' similar to how people are used to view it in movies and common books because then they will be more likely to accept your idea, so read up on the ideas behind in famous movies and books and mold your own version from there.

 

This Wikipedia article has a list of several well known sci-fi stories and their made up technologies to travel faster than light:

 

Hyperspace is a method of traveling sometimes used in science fiction. It is typically described as an alternative region of space co-existing with our own universe which may be entered using an energy field or other device. Travel in hyperspace is frequently depicted as faster-than-light travel in normal space.

 

Astronomical distances and the impossibility of faster-than-light travel pose a challenge to most science-fiction authors. They can be dealt with in several ways: accept them as such (hibernation, slow boats, generation ships), find a way to move faster than light (warp drive), "fold" space to achieve instantaneous translation (e.g. the Dune universe's Holtzman effect), access some sort of shortcut (wormholes), or sidestep the problem in an alternate space: hyperspace.

 

Hyperspace is sometimes used to enable and explain faster than light (FTL) travel in science fiction stories where FTL is necessary for interstellar travel or intergalactic travel. Spacecraft able to use hyperspace for FTL travel are sometimes said to have a hyperdrive.

 

Detailed descriptions of the mechanisms of hyperspace travel are often provided in stories using the plot device, sometimes incorporating some actual physics such as relativity or string theory in order to create the illusion of a seemingly plausible explanation. Hyperspace travel is nevertheless a fictional technology.

http://en.wikipedia....science_fiction

[Mark Ian]

According to the website below, that what would make the speed of light not constant is if a photon would have mass. We assume that photons are massless but we are unable to experimentally prove this. math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/Relativity/SpeedOfLight/speed_of_light.html

[ACG52]

We assume that photons are massless but we are unable to experimentally prove this.

 

What we have done experimentally is place an upper limit on what the mass of a photon could be. This is not to say the photon has mass, just that to be best of our measurements, we have not found any mass.