--- title: "Traveling Faster Than Light Would Mean Experiencing Multiple Timelines Simultaneously" description: "An international team of researchers have come up with a new theory that could allow for objects to go faster than the speed of light." date: "2023-01-04" modified: "2023-01-04" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/traveling-faster-than-light-physics" categories: - "Physics" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "einstein's theory of relativity" - "laws of physics" - "quantum physics" - "the digest" --- # Traveling Faster Than Light Would Mean Experiencing Multiple Timelines Simultaneously ![An international team of researchers have come up with a new theory that could allow for objects to go faster than the speed of light.]() *\Image: Getty Images\* ## Fruit of the Luminal An international team of physicists has cooked up with a new theory that could allow for objects to travel faster than the speed of light — and while they say it wouldn't technically violate the laws of physics, it *would* lead to phenomena so mind-bending that it'd make the end of "Interstellar" look normal. To wit, [according to *ScienceAlert*'s analysis]() of the team's new [paper]() in the journal *Classical and Quantum Gravity*, travelers moving faster than the speed of light would "experience" multiple timelines at once. How, you might ask? Through a "1+3 space-time" framework, which flips the idea of three spatial dimensions and one time dimension in favor of three time dimensions and a single spatial dimension. "The other three dimensions are time dimensions," said coauthor Andrzej Dragan from the University of Warsaw in Poland in [statement]() about the work. "From the point of view of such an observer, the particle 'ages' independently in each of the three times." ## 1+3 Space-Time Does that make any sense from our puny human perspective? We're honestly not sure. But it is a mind-bending exploration of an exotic what-if, not to mention [yet another example]() of researchers playing around with the decidedly "Star Trek" concept of faster-than-light travel. An added bonus? In theory, the scientists say, the framework might even help reconcile Einstein's theory of relativity with quantum mechanics, two sets of rules in physics that have yet to play nicely after many decades. "This new definition preserves Einstein's postulate of constancy of the speed of light in vacuum even for superluminal observers," Dragan said in the statement. "Therefore, our extended special relativity does not seem like a particularly extravagant idea." Look, it sounds very cool. But then again, so did "Tenet" — and we all saw how that one turned out. **More on quantum physics:** *[Physicist Says the Laws of Physics Don't Actually Exist ]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()