Unified interpretation of superluminal behaviors in wave propagation

By using two approaches, we demonstrate that superluminal behaviors in wave propagation can be attributed to mechanisms acting in the near-field limit. One approach is based on complex waves, while the other relies on a path-integral treatment of stochastic motion. The results of the two approaches are comparable, and suitable for interpreting the data obtained in microwave experiments; these experiments, over a wide range of distances, show a time advance which, in any case, is limited to nanoseconds.