Editing Tachyon (section)

== History ==
Faster-than-light particles were discussed before the advent of relativity by such physicists as [[JJ Thomson]] and [[Arnold Sommerfeld]].<ref name="Sommerfeld" /><ref name="sudarshan62" />{{rp|718}} The possibility of existence of faster-than-light particles was also proposed by {{Ill|Lev Yakovlevich Shtrum|lt=|ru|Штрум, Лев Яковлевич}} in 1923.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Chashchina |first1=Olga |last2=Silagadze |first2=Zurab |date=13 April 2022 |title=Relativity 4-ever? |journal=Physics |volume=4 |issue=2 |pages=421–439 |arxiv=2107.10739 |doi=10.3390/physics4020028 |issn=2624-8174 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2022Physi...4..421C }}</ref>

In 1962<ref name="sudarshan62" /> and again in 1969<ref name="sudarshan69" /> Oleksa-Myron Bilanuik, Vijay Deshpande and [[E. C. George Sudarshan]] discussed the possibility of a class of faster-than-light particles consistent with special relativity. As part of their discussion they point out that light particles are never accelerated but rather are created with the full velocity of light. Similarly they argue that while accelerating normal matter beyond the speed of light is inconsistent with special relativity, this does not prevent creation of faster than light particles.<ref name="Feinberg 1967-1969" /> 

The term ''tachyon'' was coined by [[Gerald Feinberg]] in a 1967 paper titled "Possibility of faster-than-light particles".<ref name="Feinberg 1967-1969" /> He had been inspired by the science-fiction story "Beep" by [[James Blish]].<ref name="Benford-legends" /> Feinberg studied the kinematics of such particles according to [[special relativity]]. In his paper, he also introduced [[Tachyonic field|fields with imaginary mass]] (now also referred to as tachyons) in an attempt to understand the microphysical origin such particles might have.

In September 2011, it was reported that a [[tau neutrino]] had traveled faster than the speed of light; however, later updates from CERN on the [[OPERA experiment]] indicate that the [[2011 OPERA faster-than-light neutrino anomaly|faster-than-light readings]] were due to a faulty element of the experiment's fibre optic timing system.<ref name="CERN-2012-06-08" />