Standard-Theory denies the presence of 'ether' as a medium where light 'travels through' whereas earlier science was likewise addicted to this point of view. Now i found the following: Sound (as a propagating wave) travels 5000 times faster in steel as in air (applause) .. now i heard light would need a VERY rigid media in order to reach such a high speed, IF there is a media at all. Could this be Dark matter ? Now how to proof that ? Can one build an experiment accurate enough to measure the speed of light far far away from a gravitational influenced area (in my opinion containing a higher amount of 'unknown media') like the sun to proof or disproof whether there IS such a 'media' .. just for getting to know whether we can finally put the 'ether' stuff down into the grave ?
Can we ? Whats your opinion on this ?
tripforyou2009-03-13T20:18:04Z
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While the 'ether' may have it's name changed, it's alive and well in particle physics. The Higgs field, if proven to exist, is the rough equivalent to the 'ether.' But some also consider electromagnetic fields to be ethereal. Thus, 'light' to many particle physicists is a vibration of electromagnetic fields..
I don't know that an experiment could be conducted as you propose. The speed of light can be exceptionally well measured. However, when light changes what it is moving through it's speed will also change. Light does not propagate at the same speed through water as it does through empty space. When it enters space again it will resume it's 'normal' speed.
There are media for increasing the speed of light beyond that of a vacuum. Notably, a stabilized cesium chamber will propagate light faster than 'empty' space. Search 'superluminal light propagation' for more info on that. What you seek might be possible, but the method escapes me right now.
The ether theory became too unwieldy once the Michelson-Morley experiment showed that if it exists, it is always moving along with us no matter what our speed, what time of day, what season of the year, or whatever.
Lorentz tried to make it work by making it stretch according to our speed relative to it.
Einstein showed that it was far simpler to imagine that space and time themselves were stretching and derived all of Lorentz's arbitrary equations from a set of much simpler assumptions.
And noone has thought too seriously about the ether ever since. Actually I shouldn't say noone--I'm sure you could still manipulate an ether theory to produce results equivalent to special relativity. But I don't know of such a theory that makes testable predictions contrary to special relativity.
--And no, the Higgs field is not the luminiferous ether. Where do people get this crap?