(2 of 2)
Unbelievable Velocity. With these characteristics in mind, researchers in Sweden, at Princeton and at Indiana State University have been working on a variety of complex experiments designed to detect tachyons—so far without success. Feinberg himself has suggested a massive, computer-aided survey of existing bubble-chamber pictures of particle collisions, hoping that someone may find a pattern that will confirm the presence of tachyons.
If tachyons are some day found—and somehow harnessed—Feinberg's dreamed-of trip to the distant stars may yet be possible. The Einstein barrier to higher speeds would still be unbreakable by man and his spacecraft, but with their unbelievable speeds, the particles could serve to accelerate men closer to the velocity of light.
* Any multiple of the square root of minus one.