Faster-Than-Light Intertial Frames and Tachyons

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Abstract
By means of a mathematical transformation, we introduce a set of reference frames, called superluminal inertial frames, relative to which tachyons in one spatial dimension behave as ordinary particles. One-dimensional processes involving tachyons and photons can be analyzed in the new frames, and the results transformed to the subluminal frames. The mathematical symmetry or duality between subluminal and superluminal frames and particles suggests an extension of the principle of relativity, according to which the totality of physical laws has the same form relative to both subluminal and superluminal frames. One possible consequence of this extended principle of relativity is that charged tachyons might have properties similar to those of magnetic monopoles. Another consequence is that the cross section for the backward scattering of photons by photons should be twice as great as is predicted without taking into account tachyons. The relevance of these results to our three-dimensional world is questionable because it does not appear to be possible to extend the one-dimensional theory to three dimensions. Photon-photon scattering experiments in vacuum can reveal unambiguously whether or not the predictions have physical relevance.

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