Lorentz Ether Theory: History & Explanation

[bhobba]

This is purely a historical question that came up in another thread. I always thought LET was the theory put forward by Lorentz that said the Lorentz-Fitzgerald formula contracts objects moving through the aether. Clocks slowed down due to a shortening of their components. Light was an undulation of the aether. The electric field was a dielectric displacement in the aether. I forget what magnetic fields were supposed to be. There is also the idea of a preferred frame independent of LET. That breaks the POR that says all inertial frames are equivalent but does not have the properties of the aether in Let.

Also, in LET, the Galilaean transformations still hold; the Lorentz transformations are mere appearance.

Thanks
Bill

 

[PeterDonis]

I always thought LET was the theory put forward by Lorentz that said the Lorentz-Fitzgerald formula contracts objects moving through the aether.

That's what I take "LET" to refer to historically, yes. However, in my experience, many partisans of LET end up redefining "LET" to mean whatever pet theory they favor that happens to use the term "ether" somewhere.