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Since the speed of a wave is dependent on the density of the medium, while the speed of light does not change with changes in space-time, then the aether needs to be something different from space-time. If the medium was connected to space-time, the speed of light would change with reference, since the density of the aether would change as time and distance changes the density of the medium. This is not observed.
The speed of light is the same in all references. On the other hand, the wavelength and frequency of light can change between references; red and blue shift. Since the speed of a wave is dependent on the density of the medium, while the speed of light does not change with changes in space-time, then the aether needs to be something different from space-time. If the medium was connected to space-time, the speed of light would change with reference, since the density of the aether would change as time and distance changes the density of the medium. This is not observed. For light to always propagate at the same speed, through an aether, that aether would need to be something that is not impacted by relativity, since the speed within the medium always holds constant regardless of relative reference. The one thing that comes to mind is the aether has a speed of light reference; same in all references. Photons are not really moving in the aether, since the aether is also at the speed of light.
Quote from: arcmetal on 13/05/2016 08:39:47I doubt that anyone can say Einstein finds the idea of an ether attractive because he is having a hard time grasping the theory of relativity.Another, but more subtle, argument from authority. In fact the aether turns up in respectable electromagnetics textbooks until the 1950s because it's an easy concept for teaching military technicians, along with the Bohr atom and a few other tricks needed to bring conscripts up to speed for modern warfare. But in this more relaxed arena I think we would do better to avoid the absurdities inherent in both models.
I doubt that anyone can say Einstein finds the idea of an ether attractive because he is having a hard time grasping the theory of relativity.
Of course, can agree with what I have highlighted. My problem is with the prevailing common notion that has thrown the baby out with the bath water by saying "there is no aether", and so don't look for it. ... Nothing to see here folks just move along.... Yet, all these waves here waving without a medium.
Thus, at the time of the MM experiment, no one had the idea of a "relativistic" ether since that idea didn't exist yet.
The only thing that could be said to be anything akin to an aether is the Higgs field.
I was wondering how these fields relate. I know the Higgs and Photon field interact, but I thought they were still very separate. Can you expand on your thoughts?
Quote from: Colin2B on 21/05/2016 16:56:36I was wondering how these fields relate. I know the Higgs and Photon field interact, but I thought they were still very separate. Can you expand on your thoughts?The aether has mass. Particles of matter are condensations of the aether. The Higgs is the process by which aether condense into particulate matter.