2015 Herzberg Memorial Public Lecture: Faster than the Speed of Light by Prof. Miguel Alcubierre

Visit us on twitter & facebook (@CAPhys) or on our website () 2015 Herzberg Memorial Public Lecture, University of Alberta, Monday June 15, 2015, 7:30​ P.M., Myer Horowitz Theatre Miguel Alcubierre, Nuclear Sciences Institute, National Autonomous University of Mexico Faster than the Speed of Light ABSTRACT: In this talk I will give a short introduction to some of the basic concepts of Einstein’s special theory of relativity, which is at the basis of all of modern physics. In particular, I will concentrate on the concept of causality, and why causality implies that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light in vacuum. I will later discuss some of the basic ideas behind Einstein’s other great theory, General Relativity, which is the modern theory of gravity and postulates that the geometry space-time is dynamic and the presence of large concentrations of mass and energy produce a “curvature” in space-time. I will then talk about how the curvature of space-time