The science behind 'The Loop' and tachyons
Tachyons are hypothetical particles that would travel faster than light. This is how they hold up the time loop in my novel The Loop, and where the physics stops and the fiction starts.
An introduction to «The Loop»
'The Loop' is a contemporary novel that weaves science fiction together with complex scientific concepts, physics above all. The plot turns on the possibility of tachyons, hypothetical particles that would move faster than light, and on what that does to the story. Through a meticulous, inventive approach, the author invites us to think about where science ends and fiction begins.
There is a case file that does not exist in any police station. I wrote it for readers who want to see how an investigation that has not happened yet gets documented from the inside: what is written down, what is left out, and who decides the latter. It is sent by email, and only to those who ask for it.
Tachyons in modern science
The idea of tachyons comes out of Einstein's theory of relativity, which suggests that under certain conditions particles could exist in a state where their speed exceeded the speed of light. The concept has fascinated scientists and writers alike, and it has generated no shortage of argument about what such a finding would mean. In an explanatory video on tachyons, the current theories surrounding these particles are set out, along with how they might, in theory, affect our understanding of the universe.
Next read
Two posts that continue this one: Exploring futuristic worlds: the science behind The Loop and A character guide to The Loop.
The novel to read next: The Loop, a cyberpunk thriller about temporal anomalies: a world trapped in a 24-hour cycle that everyone is aware of.
