Massive Discrepancy between the General Theory of Relativity and the Latest Experiments Measuring the Constancy of the Speed of Light — Oak Academic Publishing
Research ArticleOpen AccessGoogle Scholar indexed
Massive Discrepancy between the General Theory of Relativity and the Latest Experiments Measuring the Constancy of the Speed of Light
National Technical University of Athens, Zografou Campus, Athens, Greece
1 National Technical University of Athens, Zografou Campus, Athens, Greece
The theoretical study of optical resonator experiments in terms of the foundation of the theory of relativity gives an important result according to which the existence of a lowest limit to the ratio Δ ν / ν arises, which is of the order of 10 ?12 , and is attributed to the rotational motion of the Earth. Given that the latest experimental results of measuring the ratio Δ ν / ν , for the period from 2003 to 2015, are several orders of magnitude lower than the theoretically predicted, the present study highlights a massive discrepancy between the general theory of relativity and highly robust experimental data spanning over a decade that come from the latest experiments measuring the constancy of the speed of light.
KeywordsConstancy of the Speed of LightOptical Resonator ExperimentsMichelson-Morley ExperimentLight Speed with Respect to the Earth’s Rotating FrameAnisotropies of the Speed of Light
Michelson, A.A. (1881) The Relative Motion of the Earth and of the Luminiferous Ether. American Journal of Science , 3, 120-129. https://doi.org/10.2475/ajs.s3-22.128.120
Michelson, A.A. and Morley, E.W. (1887) On the Relative Motion of the Earth and the Luminiferous Ether. American Journal of Science , 3, 333-345. https://doi.org/10.2475/ajs.s3-34.203.333
Morley, E.W. and Miller, D.C. (1904) Extract from a Letter Dated Cleveland, Ohio, August 5th, 1904, to Lord Kelvin from Profs. Edward W. Morley and Dayton C. Miller. Philosophical Magazine , Series 6, 8, 753-754.
Morley, E.W. and Miller, D.C. (1905) Report of an Experiment to Detect the Fitzgerald-Lorentz Effect. Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences , 41, 321-328. https://doi.org/10.2307/20022071
Miller, D.C. (1925) Ether-Drift Experiments at Mount Wilson. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , 11, 306-314. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.11.6.306
Tomaschek, R. (1924) Über das Verhalten des Lichtes außerirdischer Lichtquellen. Annalen der Physik , 378, 105-126. https://doi.org/10.1002/andp.19243780107
Miller, D.C. (1933) The Ether-Drift Experiment and the Determination of the Absolute Motion of the Earth. Reviews of Modern Physics , 5, 203-242. https://doi.org/10.1103/revmodphys.5.203
Kennedy, R.J. (1926) A Refinement of the Michelson-Morley Experiment. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , 12, 621-629. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.12.11.621
Illingworth, K.K. (1927) A Repetition of the Michelson-Morley Experiment Using Kennedy’s Refinement. Physical Review , 30, 692-696. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrev.30.692
Piccard, A. and Stahel, E. (1926) L’expérience de Michelson, réalisée en ballon libre. Comptes Rendus , 183, 420-421.
Piccard, A. and Stahel, E. (1927) Nouveaux résultats obtenus par l’expérience de Michelson. Comptes Rendus , 184, 152.
Piccard, A. and Stahel, E. (1927) L’absence du vent d’éther au Rigi. Comptes Rendus , 184, 1198-1200.
Michelson, A.A., Pease, F.G. and Pearson, F. (1929) Repetition of the Michelson-Morley Experiment. Journal of the Optical Society of America , 18, 181-182. https://doi.org/10.1364/josa.18.0181_1
Joos, G. (1930) Die Jenaer Wiederholung des Michelsonversuchs. Annalen der Physik , 399, 385-407. https://doi.org/10.1002/andp.19303990402
Shamir, J. and Fox, R. (1969) A New Experimental Test of Special Relativity. Il Nuovo Cimento B Series 10 , 62, 258-264. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02710136
Cedarholm, J.P., Bland, G.F., Havens, B.L. and Townes, C.H. (1958) New Experimental Test of Special Relativity. Physical Review Letters , 1, 342-343. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.1.342
Cedarholm, J.P. and Townes, C.H. (1959) A New Experimental Test of Special Relativity. Nature , 184, 1350-1351. https://doi.org/10.1038/1841350a0
Jaseja, T.S., Javan, A., Murray, J. and Townes, C.H. (1964) Test of Special Relativity or of the Isotropy of Space by Use of Infrared Masers. Physical Review , 133, A1221-A1225. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrev.133.a1221
Wolf, P., Bize, S., Clairon, A., Luiten, A.N., Santarelli, G. and Tobar, M.E. (2003) Tests of Lorentz Invariance Using a Microwave Resonator. Physical Review Letters , 90, Article ID: 060402. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.90.060402
Müller, H., Herrmann, S., Braxmaier, C., Schiller, S. and Peters, A. (2003) Modern Michelson-Morley Experiment Using Cryogenic Optical Resonators. Physical Review Letters , 91, Article ID: 020401. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.91.020401
Wolf, P., Tobar, M.E., Bize, S., Clairon, A., Luiten, A.N. and Santarelli, G. (2004) Whispering Gallery Resonators and Tests of Lorentz Invariance. General Relativity and Gravitation , 36, 2351-2372. https://doi.org/10.1023/b:gerg.0000046188.87741.51
Wolf, P., Bize, S., Clairon, A., Santarelli, G., Tobar, M.E. and Luiten, A.N. (2004) Improved Test of Lorentz Invariance in Electrodynamics. Physical Review D , 70, Article ID: 051902. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevd.70.051902
Antonini, P., Okhapkin, M., Göklü, E. and Schiller, S. (2005) Test of Constancy of Speed of Light with Rotating Cryogenic Optical Resonators. Physical Review A , 71, Article ID: 050101. https://doi.org/10.1103/physreva.71.050101
Stanwix, P.L., Tobar, M.E., Wolf, P., Susli, M., Locke, C.R., Ivanov, E.N., et al . (2005) Test of Lorentz Invariance in Electrodynamics Using Rotating Cryogenic Sapphire Microwave Oscillators. Physical Review Letters , 95, Article ID: 040404. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.95.040404
Herrmann, S., Senger, A., Kovalchuk, E., Müller, H. and Peters, A. (2005) Test of the Isotropy of the Speed of Light Using a Continuously Rotating Optical Resonator. Physical Review Letters , 95, Article ID: 150401. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.95.150401
Stanwix, P.L., Tobar, M.E., Wolf, P., Locke, C.R. and Ivanov, E.N. (2006) Improved Test of Lorentz Invariance in Electrodynamics Using Rotating Cryogenic Sapphire Oscillators. Physical Review D , 74, Article ID: 081101. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevd.74.081101
Müller, H., Stanwix, P.L., Tobar, M.E., Ivanov, E., Wolf, P., Herrmann, S., et al . (2007) Tests of Relativity by Complementary Rotating Michelson-Morley Experiments. Physical Review Letters , 99, Article ID: 050401. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.99.050401
Eisele, C., Nevsky, A.Y. and Schiller, S. (2009) Laboratory Test of the Isotropy of Light Propagation at the 10-17 Level. Physical Review Letters , 103, Article ID: 090401. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.103.090401
Herrmann, S., Senger, A., Möhle, K., Nagel, M., Kovalchuk, E.V. and Peters, A. (2009) Rotating Optical Cavity Experiment Testing Lorentz Invariance at the 10-17 Level. Physical Review D , 80, Article ID: 105011. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevd.80.105011
Nagel, M., Parker, S.R., Kovalchuk, E.V., Stanwix, P.L., Hartnett, J.G., Ivanov, E.N., et al . (2015) Direct Terrestrial Test of Lorentz Symmetry in Electrodynamics to 10-18. Nature Communications , 6, Article No. 8174. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms9174
Mansouri, R. and Sexl, R.U. (1977) A Test Theory of Special Relativity: I. Simultaneity and Clock Synchronization. General Relativity and Gravitation , 8, 497-513. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00762634
Kennedy, R.J. and Thorndike, E.M. (1932) Experimental Establishment of the Relativity of Time. Physical Review , 42, 400-418. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrev.42.400
Mansouri, R. and Sexl, R.U. (1977) A Test Theory of Special Relativity: III. Second-Order Tests. General Relativity and Gravitation , 8, 809-814. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00759585
Herrmann, S., Senger, A., Kovalchuk, E., Müller, H. and Peters, A. (2006) Test of Lorentz Invariance Using a Continuously Rotating Optical Resonator. In: Ehlers, J. and Lämmerzahl, C., Eds., Special Relativity , Springer, 385-400. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-34523-x_13
Kostelecký, V.A. and Mewes, M. (2002) Signals for Lorentz Violation in Electrodynamics. Physical Review D , 66, Article ID: 056005. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevd.66.056005
Landau, L. and Lifshitz, E. (1975) The Classical Theory of Fields. Pergamon Press Ltd.
Hendershott, M. (2005) Lecture 2: The Role of Tidal Dissipation and the Laplace Tidal Equations. In: Proceedings of the 2004 Program in Geophysical Fluid Dynamics : Tides , Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 20-33. https://www.whoi.edu/cms/files/lecture02_21373.pdf
Møller, C. (1972) The Theory of Relativity. 2nd Edition, Oxford University Press.
Mashhoon, B. (1989) Electrodynamics in a Rotating Frame of Reference. Physics Letters A , 139, 103-108. https://doi.org/10.1016/0375-9601(89)90338-1
Hauck, J.C. and Mashhoon, B. (2003) Electromagnetic Waves in a Rotating Frame of Reference. Annalen der Physik , 515, 275-288. https://doi.org/10.1002/andp.20035150501