Neutrinos could deliver millisecond advantage to cyborg Gordon Gekkos

In a world where stocks are traded based on price changes monitored at the millisecond level, every sliver of a speed advantage gained counts. And, to get that edge, financial firms will go to almost any lengths, including building high powered particle accelerators in their basements. Well, at least that's what we imagine. Banks and high-frequency trading companies are looking to the neutrino as a potential communications tool. Scientists have already shown that the subatomic particles can travel through walls, now there's every reason to believe messages could be passed straight through the Earth, saving up to 44 milliseconds on each communique. Of course, there's one problem with this idea -- creating neutrinos currently requires either a nuclear reactor or a particle accelerator, something even the largest of financial firms don't usually keep on hand. Either the world's banks will have to snatch up CERN or build their own atom smashers. Neither of which seems like it's very likely to happen in the immediate future.

Neutrinos could deliver millisecond advantage to cyborg Gordon Gekkos originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 18:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/30/neutrinos-could-deliver-millisecond-advantage-to-cyborg-gordon-g/

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