Neutrino Oscillations and Superluminal Propagation,in OPERA or Otherwise

We digress on the implications of recent claims of superluminal neutrino propagation. No matter how we turn it around such behaviour is very odd and sits uncomfortably even within “far-fetched” theories. In the context of non-linear realizations of the Lorentz group (where superluminal misbehaviour is run of the mill) one has to accept rather contrived constructions to predict superluminal properties for the neutrino. The simplest explanation is to require that at least one of the mass states be tachyonic. We show that due to neutrino mixing, the flavor energy does not suffer from the usual runaway pathologies of tachyons. For non-tachyonic mass states the theories become more speculative. A neutrino specific dispersion relation is exhibited, rendering the amplitude of the effect reasonable for a standard Planck energy. This uses the fact that the beam energy is close to the geometrical average of the neutrino and Planck mass;or, seen in another way, the beam energy is unexceptional but its gamma factor is very large. A dispersion relation crossing over from a low energy bradyonic branch to a high energy tachyonic one is also considered. We comment on consistency with SN 1987Awithin these models.

What causes the superluminal propagation of light pulses

In this paper, we discuss what causes the superluminal propagation of a pulse through dispersion by solving Maxwell's equations without any approximation. The coherence of the pulse plays an important role for superluminal propagation. When the pulse becomes partially coherent, the propagation changes from superluminal to sublumiiial. The energy velocity is always less than the vacuum velocity. The shape of the pulse is changed during the propagation.

Subluminal to superluminal light propagation in a V-type three-level atomic system interacting with squeezed vacuum

We study the light propagation properties in a V-type three-level atomic system interacting with two independent broadband squeezed baths. Using the graphic method, the dependences of the absorption and the dispersion of the system on the coupling field strength, the incoherent pumping field strength and the intensity of the squeezed vacuum are analysed. The result shows that the probe pulse propagation can be changed from subluminal to superluminal speed.

Pulse generation with ultra-superluminal pulse propagation in semiconductor heterostructures by superradiant-phase transition enhanced by transient coherent population gratings

This paper reports the observation of ultra-superluminal pulse propagation in multiple-contact semiconductor heterostructures in a superradiant emission regime,and shows definitively that it is a different class of emission from conventional spontaneous or stimulated emission.Coherent population gratings induced in the semiconductor medium under strong electrical pumping have been shown to cause a major decrease of the group refractive index,in the range of 5–40%.This decrease is much greater than that caused by conventional carrier depletion or chirp mechanisms.The decrease in refractive index in turn causes faster-than-c propagation of femtosecond pulses.The measurement also proves the existence of coherent amplification of electromagnetic pulses in semiconductors at room temperature,the coherence being strongly enhanced by interactions of the light with coherent transient gratings locked to carrier gratings.This pulse-generation technique is anticipated to have great potential in applications where highly coherent femtosecond optical pulses must be generated on demand.