subluminaler

Subluminaler is a coined term used to describe a person, device, or phenomenon that operates at subluminal speeds, meaning slower than the speed of light in vacuum. The word appears to be a blend of subluminal and the English agent suffix -er; its exact sense is determined by context because it is not a standard term in physics.

It commonly occurs in speculative fiction, online glossaries, and hobbyist discussions about relativistic travel. In such usage, a subluminaler may refer to a pilot or vehicle designed to travel at sublight speeds, or to a process that transmits information or matter within the subluminal regime. The term does not imply any new physical principle.

In formal physics, subluminal describes motion with speed less than c, and no known massive object can reach c. The term subluminaler has no recognized scientific definition and should be defined when used to avoid ambiguity; it should not be treated as a standard term for real-world experiments.

Related concepts include subluminal motion, the universal speed limit, and tachyons as hypothetical faster-than-light particles. Because subluminaler is a neologism, its meaning can vary by author, and clarification is advisable whenever the term appears in text.