sophiecentaur said:
You can't test an idea like this on a "simulator" because the simulator would have your basic idea already built into it.
MMX, surely, demonstrated that there is no "wind" so how would a non-existent wind produce any effect?
Yes , length contraction is some type of ad-hoc.
But it looks enough realistic.
It comes from analysis how simplest hologram (a single mirror and photo sensitive surface on it)
would look like if ether wind would really exist.
It is easy to find that ether wind would not destroy the hologram, just periods would become shorter
by mentioned proportions.
Here is some picture (full animation maybe would be too big to place here)
http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/6130/wave.png
Lets asume ether wind from right to left with velocity v
If we have mirror on left side then incoming wave :
y1 = k*sin(x/(2*pi(c+v)) +t)
and reflected wave
y2 = k*sin(x/(2*pi(c-v)) -t)
(both are gray on the picture)
Then y1+y2 = k*sin(x/(2*pi(c+v)) +t) + k*sin(x/(2*pi(c-v)) -t)
(black line) which also moves.
But it moves only inside static zones surrounded by static violet sinusoids.
y3 = 2*k*sin( x/( 2*pi*c*(1-v^2/c^2) ) ) and
y4 = -2*k*sin( x/( 2*pi*c*(1-v^2/c^2) ) )
So it forms sinusoidal hologram, but with shorter periods compare to the case when v=0.
Here are no any ad-hocs up to this point, just calculations how hologram would look if ether wind would exist.
Then comes ad-hoc idea: maybe hard bodies are some type of standing waves also.
If so they must follow the same rules (must contract by the same amount).
In this way even 0.9c ether wind will be not detectable with MMX setup, because of contraction of parallel arm by factor (1-v^2/c^2) and perpendicular by factor sqrt(1-v^2/c^2).
Nothing much new here compare to LET, because relatyve contraction stays the same,
but maybe here is a little better motyvation why hard bodies could contract.
Yes, this analogy/relation between hologram and hard body can be seen as an ad-hoc,
but also can happen that it is a good guess.
But at least we need same alternatyve views to find good experiments based on differences.
I think there is no big problem if alternatyve view is not vell developed in all posible areas.
But still it is worth for mentioned purpose (to look for experiments) if it has good agreetment with experiments in areas where it is already developed and if we are scientific minded (not sure 100% with any even the best current theory).
By the way it looks this idea also can be aplied to explain life time of unstable particles.
Smaller moving particle (perpendiculary smaller by factor sqrt(1-v^/c^2))
may move longer until it hits with some virtual particle or dark mater particle or something else. Ant it looks this explanation fits numerically to known experiments also.