Superluminal Pairs Events in Astronomical Settings: Sweeping Beams
Reflected sweeping beams of light with superluminal speeds can show spot pair creation and annihilation events that provide unique information to observers. Such faster-than-light speeds are a well known phenomenon that do not violate special relativity. Superluminal pair events may be real illumination events on the scattering surface, or virtual events only perceived by the observer. The theory behind the creation and annihilation of superluminal spot pairs will be reviewed. Counter-intuitive motions of such spots created by a laser sweeping across Earth's Moon will be highlighted as an example. Other astronomical settings where such superluminal pair events might be found and could be useful will be reviewed.