'Speeding' light reveals secrets of the deep universe

Scientists are exploiting superluminal transits to decode neutron stars, gamma-ray bursts and other unseen mysteries of the universe.

Some phenomena in the universe appear to travel faster than light – but they are actually optical illusions. Now scientists are learning how to exploit them to explore mysteries such as neutron stars, gamma-ray bursts and jets of plasma from black holes.

Superluminal transits in space – an optical illusion – could reveal the hidden structure of neutron stars and gamma-ray bursts. (Source: RF)

For example, shining a laser at the moon and scanning its surface will create the illusion of a bright spot moving faster than light. Similarly, phenomena such as “light echoes” can create the illusion of light traveling backward in time – a potential tool for studying exploding stars and their internal structures.

From the 1901 Nova Persei explosion to the plasma streams from the Centaurus A galaxy, astronomers have recorded superluminal motions that help them better understand the structure and energy of matter flows in the universe.

A new model suggests that GRBs may produce “relativistic double images” – light emitted in reverse order as shockwaves pass the speed of light in the plasma. This explains the strange light curves with multiple repeating peaks, as if the burst were being replayed in reverse.

Physicists are recreating superluminal effects in the lab using lasers and exotic materials like indium tin oxide. These experiments are helping to refine how we understand cosmic signals, especially as the Vera C. Rubin Observatory begins scanning the sky at high frequency.

If hyperspectral motion phenomena such as double images and light echoes are observed regularly, they could become as important tools as gravitational lensing, once considered a far-fetched theory. Scientists believe they will open a new era in deciphering extreme cosmic events.

Minh Hoan

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/anh-sang-vuot-toc-do-he-lo-bi-mat-vu-tru-sau-tham-ar967690.html