As of our current understanding of physics, it is not possible to travel faster than the speed of light in space. According to Einstein's theory of special relativity, the speed of light in a vacuum, denoted by 'c,' is an absolute speed limit in the universe. As an object with mass approaches the speed of light, its energy and relativistic mass increase infinitely, requiring an infinite amount of energy to accelerate further. This makes it practically impossible to achieve or exceed the speed of light for any object with mass.
Furthermore, as an object with mass accelerates towards the speed of light, time dilation and length contraction effects occur. Time dilation means that time appears to pass more slowly for the moving observer relative to a stationary observer, while length contraction means that the length of the object in the direction of motion appears to shrink as measured by the stationary observer. As the object approaches the speed of light, these relativistic effects become more pronounced.
If an object were to somehow exceed the speed of light, it would lead to several theoretical consequences:
Violation of causality: Exceeding the speed of light would imply the possibility of traveling back in time, leading to paradoxes and violations of causality. For example, an effect could occur before its cause, leading to logical inconsistencies.
Imaginary mass and tachyons: Theoretical particles that always travel faster than light are called tachyons. If such particles existed, they would possess imaginary mass, which means they would have a complex-valued mass instead of a real-valued mass. This raises further fundamental questions about the nature of matter and energy.
Energy requirements: Exceeding the speed of light would require infinite energy, which is not physically realizable. It would defy the laws of thermodynamics and conservation of energy.
No known mechanism: As of now, there is no known mechanism or physical principle that would allow an object with mass to travel faster than light without violating the laws of physics.
Due to these theoretical consequences and the lack of any experimental evidence or credible theoretical framework supporting faster-than-light travel, the general consensus among physicists is that it is not possible to travel faster than the speed of light in space as we currently understand the laws of nature. However, scientific understanding can evolve with new discoveries, so it is always important to remain open to new ideas and evidence.