We have new information, but my position on the OPERA experiment’s FTL neutrino measurement hasn’t changed.
First, here’s what we know. Members of the OPERA experiment has been working diligently to improve their measurement, better understand their uncertainties, and look for errors. Yesterday, the discovery of some possible problems was leaked anonymously (and vaguely) in Science Insider. This compelled OPERA to release a statement clarifying the status of their work: there are two possible problems, which would have opposite effects on the results. (Nature News has a good summary here.)
The important thing to learn here, I think, is that the work is actually ongoing. The problems need further study, and their overall impact needs to be assessed. New measurements will be performed in May. What we’ve gotten is a status update whose timing was forced by the initial news article, not a definitive repudiation of the measurement.
Of course, we already knew with incredible confidence that the OPERA result is wrong. I wrote about that last October, but I also wrote that we still need a better understanding of the experiment. Good scientific work can’t be dismissed because we think it must have a mistake somewhere. I’m standing by that position: it’s worth waiting for the final analysis.
Tags: faster than light, neutrinos, OPERA
