Observation of image pair creation and annihilation from superluminal scattering sources

Abstract

The invariance of the speed of light implies a series of consequences related to our perception of simultaneity and of time itself. Whilst these consequences are experimentally well studied for subluminal speeds, the kinematics of superluminal motion lack direct evidence. Using high temporal resolution imaging techniques, we demonstrate that if a source approaches an observer at superluminal speeds, the temporal ordering of events is inverted and its image appears to propagate backwards. If the source changes its speed, crossing the interface between sub- and super-luminal propagation, we observe image pair annihilation and creation. These results show that it is not possible to unambiguously determine the kinematics of an event from imaging and time-resolved measurements alone.

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• Cavity QED characterization of many-body atomic states in double-well potentials -- The role of dissipation
• Superluminal Spot Pair Events in Astronomical Settings: Sweeping Beams
• Tracking hidden objects with a single-photon camera

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