A Modified Lorentz Ether Theory

Ronald R. HatchPresented at the

Natural Philosophy Alliance

Meeting the University of Connecticut at Storrs

June 10, 2000

Outline

• Introduction

• First Principles

• Gravitational Effects– Speed of light

– Clock rate

– Length

– Mass and energy

– MLET vs. GRT

Outline Continued

• Velocity (Speed) Effects– Effective (two-way) speed of light relative to a moving standing

wave– Clock rate– Length contraction– Mass and energy– MLET vs. SRT

• Thomas Precession• Sagnac Effect

• Electromagnetism• Conclusions

Introduction

• Vacuum or Ether?“It seems absurd to retain the name ‘vacuum’ for an entity so rich in

physical properties, and the historical word ‘aether’ may fitly be retained.” Whittaker (1951).

• Physical Medium or Mathematical Equation?The ether had to be given up “ …not only because it turned out to be

unobservable, but because it became superfluous as an element of mathematical formalism” Pauli

“Ask your imagination if it will accept a vibrating multiple proportion—a numerical ratio in a state of oscillation.” Tyndall

• Equivalence of all Inertial Frames?• Let’s Return to Physical Things—Viva La Ether!

First Principles

• Polarization implies Shear– Not gas, unlikely fluid, likely solid– Longitudinal and Transverse waves in a solid

• Set longitudinal to zero• Set longitudinal to infinite• Elastic to rotations only—McCauley• New – Set transverse to zero

• Matter a standing wave – Can move through a solid.

Gravitational Effects

• Movement of ether within a standing wave reduces the ether density because of the reaction time of the ether (maximum velocity of c).

• Increases the external ether density and causes an ether density gradient.

• The ether density affects the speed of light.

Speed of Light in Gravitational Potential

• Speed of light is slower (by the square of the gravitational scale factor) at lower gravitational potentials.

• Predicted by GRT

• Measured by Shapiro et al.– Orbits do not have pimples

2sccl

2(exp)

rc

GMs

2

21

rc

GMs

Clock Rate in a Gravitational Potential

• Equivalence Principle—Ciufolini/Wheeler– Predicts rising red shift & falling blue shift

• Verified net effect– Pound & Rebka; Pound & Snider; Vessot

• Clifford M. Will’s nonsense– The signal is shifted in frequency; to ask for more information “…

is to ask questions without observational meaning.”

• Direct Clock Effect– Hafale/Keating; GPS

sffl

Length in a Gravitational Potential• The local wavelength of light is the standard of

length. We now know that:

• But taken together these equations imply

• Thus, length is shortened in a lower gravitational potential

22 sfscfc lll sffl

sl

Brault Verification of Length Change

• The frequency of a received signal does not change while in transit:

• Therefore, the received wavelength must decrease as the square of the gravitational scale factor:

• But a measurement of the received wavelength compares it to the local wavelength. Thus,

Which is what Brault measured

ffr

2sr

slr

Mass & Energy Change in a Gravitational Potential

• Conservation of energy when falling

(Total energy = structural Energy + Kinetic energy)

• The structural Energy is:• The Kinetic energy is:

• The mass dependence is revealed by substituiting the local speed of light into the structural energy

sccmsEEl

)1()1( sccmsEKl

223 scscsmccmE llll

MLET versus GRT

• The gravitational scale factors:

• The radial gradient of structural energy:

2

21

rc

GMs

2(exp)

rc

GMs

)( sccmr

F

sr

GMmF

2 2r

GMmsF

MLET Advantages• Cause of gravity—gradient of structural energy• Natural scale factor for elastic stress relief• Correct sign of periapse precession term• Self limiting gravity—no black holes• Proper compounding effect on c—Montanus • Orbital period matchs optical data—Van Flandern• Galactic rotation curves—Jefferies • Super-giant stars red-shift—Arp • Galactic expulsion of matter—Arp

Velocity Effects on the Speed of Light

• The reaction time of any portion of a standing wave is a function of the two-way speed of light. But the two-way velocity is different in the along track (longitudinal) and transverse directions.

2s

a

cc

s

t

cc

2

2

1

1

c

v

Clock Slowing with Velocity

• Moving clocks run slower—Ives, GPS, etc.

s

m

ff

Length Contraction with Velocity

• Contraction implied by Michelson-Morley and by Kennedy-Throndike

• Contraction derived from prior two effects

s

s

s

m

aa f

c

f

c

ss

s

m

tt f

c

f

c

Mass and Energy Change with Velocity

• Gravitational effects showed lower structural energy is associated with lower clock rates—Therefore velocity causes lower structural energy

• But total energy of the particle goes up with

motion.

• So the kinetic energy is twice the classical amount

22 cmcmE

E mss

m

222 cmcmET mss

222 )1( vmcmETK mmm

Marmet & Energy• Lower energy longer lengths • Lower energy slower clocks

But• Size of standing waves are a function of the speed

of light• When light speed slows size decreases• Light speed slows more than energy decreases

Therefore lengths are decreased even

though energy is lower

MLET versus SRT

• Acceleration causes:– Tanghlerini/Selleri

transformation• New clock scale

• New length scale

• Speed of light is unchanged

• Einstein synchronization– Lorentz transformation

• Clock bias as a function of position

• Acceleration causes:– Lorentz transformation or

Lorentz boost• Hyperbolic rotation of

time and position

• New speed of light

• Synchronization is just to set the clocks correctly

Thomas Precession

MLET• Precession is caused by

the cross product of spin and orbital velocity. The result is a mass imbalance due to length contraction and inertial mass increase.

• A real torque caused by force on center of spin.

• Gravity acts on center of mass

SRT• Precession is caused by a

non-linear sequence of Lorentz boosts—object precessing need not be spinning.

• Precession occurs in the absence of a torque.

• Gravity is not a force.

Sagnac Effect

MLET

• Speed of light is unchanged and, hence, not isotropic with respect to the moving receiver.

• Rotation has nothing to do with the phenomena

SRT

• Lorentz boosts would predict no effect (because the speed of light would always be isotropic).

• Unexplained rotational phenomena—Post

• Non-isotropic light speed caused by rotation—Ashby

Experimental MLET Support• GPS

– Sagnac effect present even though the electromagnetic signal follows a straight line path.

– Sagnac effect for orbit is present when a sun-centered frame is used.

• JPL Navigation of Interplanetary probes– Sagnac effect is present for both orbital and spin

velocities of receivers on the earth.– Sagnac effect is present for signals received by the

spacecraft.• VLBI performed in both earth- and sun-centered frame—

Orbital Sagnac effect present in sun-centered frame

Gravity & Electromagnetism

Gravitational potential – Ether density gradient

Kinetic potential –

Ether shear (twist) gradient

(gravity waves are identical with electromagnetic waves – LIGO)

Electric potential – oscillating density gradient

Magnetic potential – Oscillating shear gradient

(inward or outward phase motion of oscillation determines the polarity)

Conclusions

• MLET gravitational model solves fundamental problems and is subject to experimental verification—Suggest Gravity Probe C

• MLET velocity model in full agreement with all experimental data—does not depend upon magical equations as SRT does.

• LIGO experiments should indicate failure of GRT model within 10 years.