According to our current understanding of physics, specifically Einstein's theory of relativity, it is not possible for an object with mass to travel faster than the speed of light in a vacuum. The speed of light, denoted by "c," is considered to be the universal speed limit.
As an object with mass approaches the speed of light, its energy increases significantly, and its relativistic mass also increases. At velocities close to the speed of light, time dilation occurs, meaning that time appears to slow down for the moving object relative to a stationary observer. This effect is described by the time dilation equation:
Δt' = Δt / √(1 - (v^2/c^2))
Where: Δt' is the time experienced by the moving object Δt is the time measured by a stationary observer v is the velocity of the moving object c is the speed of light
As the velocity approaches the speed of light, the denominator of the equation approaches zero, which means that time dilation becomes more significant. However, it's important to note that from the perspective of the moving object, time appears to pass normally—it is the observation of time from a different frame of reference that appears to slow down.
It's also worth mentioning that as an object with mass approaches the speed of light, its energy requirements become infinite, making it impossible to reach or exceed the speed of light using conventional means.
Regarding the notion of "even higher speeds," it's important to remember that the speed of light is already the maximum allowed speed in our current understanding of physics. Speculating about speeds beyond the speed of light would require a significant revision of our current understanding of the laws of physics.
In summary, according to our current understanding, objects with mass cannot travel faster than the speed of light. As an object approaches the speed of light, time dilation occurs, but only from the perspective of a stationary observer. Reaching or exceeding the speed of light is not currently possible with known physics and would require a substantial revision of our understanding of the universe.