新浪科技的翻譯略有錯誤，坎特.尼米茲為君特.尼米茲之誤；科布倫次通譯科布倫茨。另，Dr Alfons Stahlhofen是科布倫茨-蘭道大學物理學教授；Dr Guenter Nimtz其實是科隆大學教授，在科布倫茨-蘭道大學只是兼職。

德國物理學家宣布，實驗突破光速紀錄

新浪科技訊 北京時間8月16日消息，據英國《每日郵報》報道，科學家過去認為，光速是人類無法超越的速度限制。但是兩位德國科學家現在聲稱，他們的實驗已經證明要比光速行進得更快是有可能的。

這個驚人的結論與愛因斯坦狹義相對論的重要原則是矛盾的。這條原則是：任何事物的速度在任何情況下都不能比每秒186000英里的速度(即光速，299,792,458米/秒)更快。從理論上來說，比光的速度更快，就意味着逆轉了時間。如果根據傳統物理學進行推論，也就是說一位移動速度超過光速的宇航員在離開前就已經到達目的地了。

但是德國物理學家聲稱，他們已經利用奇特的量子隧道效應，迫使光克服它自己的速度限制。在量子隧道現象中，粒子聚集能量，可穿越一個似乎無法穿越的障礙。他們的實驗主要集中在微波光子通過兩個稜鏡時的傳播上。當他們把兩個稜鏡移開時，大部分光子被它們遇到的第一個稜鏡反射到遠處，再被一個檢波器捕獲。但是一小部分光子似乎通過一個將它們分開的裂縫繼續前進，就好像兩個稜鏡仍然呆在一起。

儘管這些光子行進的距離更遠，但是它們與被反射的光子一樣，在同一時間到達檢波器。這指出光子在兩個稜鏡間的傳輸速度比光速更快。科布倫次大學的坎特·尼米茲博士表示：“目前這是我知道的唯一一個違背了狹義相對論的實驗。”

'We have broken speed of light'

By Nic Fleming, Science Correspondent
Last Updated: 12:01am BST 16/08/2007

A pair of German physicists claim to have broken the speed of light - an achievement that would undermine our entire understanding of space and time.

According to Einstein's special theory of relativity, it would require an infinite amount of energy to propel an object at more than 186,000 miles per second.

However, Dr Gunter Nimtz and Dr Alfons Stahlhofen, of the University of Koblenz, say they may have breached a key tenet of that theory.
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The pair say they have conducted an experiment in which microwave photons - energetic packets of light - travelled "instantaneously" between a pair of prisms that had been moved up to 3ft apart.

Being able to travel faster than the speed of light would lead to a wide variety of bizarre consequences.

For instance, an astronaut moving faster than it would theoretically arrive at a destination before leaving.

The scientists were investigating a phenomenon called quantum tunnelling, which allows sub-atomic particles to break apparently unbreakable laws.

Dr Nimtz told New Scientist magazine: "For the time being, this is the only violation of special relativity that I know of."