Faster than Light Neutrinos? — Probably Not — Faulty Wiring Connection Appears to Explain the Discrepancy between Accepted Theory and OPERA’s Calculations Late Last Year

22 February 2012

Fast-tracking neutrinos derailed

Last September, the Oscillation Project with Emulsion-Racking Apparatus (OPERA) thought it had found neutrinos going faster than light.

Since that result violated accepted theory, the team invited other scientists to help them discover where they had gone wrong.

Today, ScienceInsider reported that:

According to sources familiar with the experiment, the 60 nanoseconds discrepancy appears to come from a bad connection between a fiber optic cable that connects to the GPS receiver used to correct the timing of the neutrinos' flight and an electronic card in a computer.

After tightening the connection and then measuring the time it takes data to travel the length of the fiber, researchers found that the data arrive 60 nanoseconds earlier than assumed. Since this time is subtracted from the overall time of flight, it appears to explain the early arrival of the neutrinos.

The moral? — Discovers’ glory seeped away, but scientific integrity remained

We are reminded how technically demanding it is to prove anything in the world of particle physics.

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Faster than Light Neutrinos? — Probably Not — Faulty Wiring Connection Appears to Explain the Discrepancy between Accepted Theory and OPERA’s Calculations Late Last Year