Em 23/9/2011 15:00, Jim Higgins escreveu: > Received from Yigit Turgut at 09/23/11 15:47 UTC: > >> Refraction index depends on lots of parameters not just the wavelength o= f=20 >> the source. It is a macroscopic manifestation of the molecular structure= ..=20 >> It's a scale to compare materials ratios of interactions with vacuum whe= re=20 >> there is no interaction and light is at it's maximum speed. Since they=20 >> artificially generate neutrinos they have the very specs of them. Also s= ince=20 >> they constructed the tunnel specifically for this purpose, it is easy to= =20 >> calculate and measure the refractive index through the propagation mediu= m=20 >> (the tunnel), fairly easy process. > > Not quite so easy because there isn't a 732 km tunnel. Other than a bit = of=20 > tunnel housing the equipment on each end, the path is thru the earth. I'= m=20 > sure the characteristics of that path can be estimated fairly closely, bu= t=20 > how do they know for sure? What are the margins of error on that=20 > estimate? Would we still have faster than light neutrinos if we assume o= ne=20 > or the other bookend values for the speed of light along that path. > > Light is fastest in a vacuum. It's slower in all other media. If the sp= eed=20 > of light calculated for the rocky path is too low, then neutrinos travell= ing=20 > at the true speed of light in that medium will appear to be travelling fa= ster=20 > than light should travel in that medium. How would they know the speed of light through rock? It appears that they think the neutrinos are traveling though rock faster than the light does in vacuum. The neutrinos (almost) don't interact with matter. Perhaps their speed in any media is the same. Isaac --=20 http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .