Faster Than Light Communication Via Network Geometry

A shadow swept in an arch at a distant target may exceed light speed, obviously.

Here’s an idea I had this morning for faster than light communication once we have established colonies on worlds around other stars. It’s fairly simple and does not violate the laws of physics.

Information Relay by the Real Geometry of Space

The concept is based on a real and fascinating effect: if a signal (like a laser spot) sweeps across a distant surface at superluminal (faster than light) speed, observers along the path can, in principle, relay a warning to the next observer faster than the original signal would arrive from the source, because the inter-observer distance is much less than the distance from the source. This is not faster-than-light communication in the strictest sense—no information travels faster than light locally—but it does allow for a relay of information that can outpace the original, more distant signal due to geometry.

Applying the Concept to Interstellar Communication

Imagine an interstellar network of relay stations (or inhabited worlds) spread across a vast distance, all roughly aligned along the path of a sweeping signal from a distant source (such as a supernova warning, or a galactic event notification):

– A distant event occurs and its light or signal sweeps across the galactic plane at the speed of light.
– Each relay station, upon detecting the event’s signal, immediately sends a message to its neighboring station, which is much closer than the original source.
– Because the stations are much closer to each other than to the event source, each warning travels a short distance at light speed, and the relay chain can, in effect, “outrun” the original signal as it sweeps across the network.

Example

– The event is 10,000 light-years away.
– Relay stations are 10 light-years apart.
– The event’s light reaches Station A, which instantly warns Station B (10 light-years away).
– The event’s light will take much longer to reach Station B directly (since it’s traveling a much longer path from the event).
– The relay message from A to B can arrive before the event’s light does.

Implications

– This relay network enables advance warning of cosmic events for stations further along the path, even though no single message ever exceeds the speed of light locally.
– It does not violate relativity: Each hop is light-speed limited, but the geometry allows the relay to “beat” the original signal to the next station.
– Practical uses: Early warning of supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, or other cosmic threats; synchronizing responses to distributed phenomena; or even coordinating large-scale interstellar projects.

Limitations

– This method only works for signals or events originating from a distant source and sweeping across a network.
– It cannot be used for arbitrary point-to-point faster-than-light communication between any two stations[1][3].
– For general interstellar messaging (e.g., sending a message from Earth to Alpha Centauri), the light-speed limit remains absolute[1][3].

Conclusion

A geometrically arranged relay network can, in certain cases, allow information about a distant event to propagate through the network faster than the original event’s light or signal would arrive from the source, but this does not allow arbitrary faster-than-light communication and does not violate the laws of physics[1][3].

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