An effect occurring for rotating objects at the speed of light has surprising relevance to everyday applications
Friday, August 10, 2012 - 07:01
in Physics & Chemistry
It is tempting to believe that effects arising from Einsteins theory of relativity, where objects move at speeds close to the speed of light, arise mainly at very large length scales, for example the movement of planets and stars. However, as Konstantin Bliokh and Franco Nori from the RIKEN Advanced Science Institute have demonstrated, this is not necessarily so. The researchers have shown that a combination of relativistic motions and rotation effects can lead to a rather general phenomenon that occurs for a range of objects, from black holes to small beams of light or electrons.