Critique of Tachyon Theory Challenges Superluminal Physics

Recent research by Krzysztof Jodłowski critiques a proposed quantum field theory for tachyons, which are hypothetical particles that travel faster than light. The paper, titled "Covariant quantum field theory of tachyons is unphysical," identifies several fundamental issues with the theory originally suggested by Paczos et al. in their work published in Physical Review D.

The authors argue that the commutator of the proposed tachyon fields fails to maintain Lorentz invariance, a cornerstone of modern physics that ensures the laws of physics are the same for all observers, regardless of their relative motion. This failure leads to violations of microcausality, except in cases where tachyons are assumed to move at infinite speeds.

Furthermore, the study points out that the Feynman propagator, a mathematical tool used to describe particle interactions, is based on an incorrect analogy with quantum electrodynamics (QED). This flawed foundation results in unitarity violations, meaning that probabilities calculated from the theory could exceed one, which is not physically acceptable.

The authors also highlight that the potential for interacting tachyons is susceptible to quantum corrections, which could introduce self-interactions that destabilize the tachyonic vacuum. This instability suggests that the existence of superluminal observers, as proposed by the original theory, is not physically realizable.

The implications of these findings are significant, as they challenge the extended principle of relativity and suggest that it cannot be used to derive a nondeterministic description of nature akin to quantum mechanics. This research contributes to the ongoing discourse on the validity of tachyon theories and their place within the framework of modern physics.

For further details, the full paper can be accessed at arXiv:2406.14225.