Diff between aether & EM field

[Pjpic]

What's the main difference between the concepts of aether and that of the EM field? They both seem, to my unpracticed eye, to be everywhere and the medium that allows light.

 

[RedX]

Aether corresponds to the electromagnetic field, and light is an excitation of this field.

 

[Antiphon]

The difference is that the Aether would be a physical entity capable of supporting EM waves in a similar way to how solid, liquid, and gaseous material supports sound.

Various advancements in physics (both experimental and theoretical) have rendered the need for the Aether obsolete at best and impossible at worst.

In fringe physics and in some classified government circles there are adherents to the Aether concept. In the end, a Maxwellian Aether surely does not exist though there are reasons why it continues to make sense to some.

 

[Pjpic]

The difference is that the Aether would be a physical entity capable of supporting EM waves in a similar way to how solid, liquid, and gaseous material supports sound.

So the difference is that the EM field IS waves but aether would SUPPORT waves?

 

[Antiphon]

Yes, sort of. The EM field is a description of forces on a test charge measured over here when you have another charge doing something over there. The description resembles waves but it's not at all like sound which really is a wave moving through a medium.

That means it's all about what "over here" and "over there" really means and not so much about wave motion.

The structure of space-time is what gives rise to the form of Maxwell's equations. Not the elastic properties of an etherial wave medium which would have to be extremely stiff, extremely light, and extremely undetectable as the MM experiment showed 100+ years ago.

Space-time is a bit mysterious. We don't really know what it's made of. The math says it isn't made of anything. The philosophy says something isn't made of nothing. The empty space between here and Mars has some attributes but it isn't clear whether that fact promotes space-time to the level of physical entity.