mfb said:
Try to predict the result of the experiment, using calculus only. No hand-wavy argumentation, just simple calculations.
There is some problem. If I would describe particular case with some approximations specific to this experiment you would show these approximations give some wrong predictions somewhere else. But if you look how I explain experiments one by one likely you would find clear system and predictability.
Everything comes from my view what is ether + a few properties to be able well explain known experiments. These things can not be derived from something more fundamental or same principles.
Things like that can be only guessed and tested. On top of it mathematicians can build a theory.
But this/any theory is not a body, it is just like contours of currently visible body. And it is always temporary because if you extend your mathematical predictions outside current known experimental facts, this extension has no more reliability than my visual predictions.
So what is this invisible/magical/many times refused ether?
I think people already have many bits of this puzzle.
Lets imagine virtual particle which jumps quickly forth and back between virtual particle and virtual photon state. All virtual particles together forms an ether in old style understanding.
All photons moves with velocity c only relative to this ether.
But this ether of virtual particles can move in different ways.
Gravity for example generates ether flow to the direction of centers of big masses.
Therefore we have gravitational light bending, black holes and so on.
But this ether is not something like real gas, you can not compress it.
Even gravity can not do this (except black hole),
because any surplus of density of virtual particles quickly transforms to virtual photons.
Something like saturated vapor quickly transforms to water if you try to arise pressure.
This analogy with saturated vapor is very important and explains (at least shows direction for explanation) why body do not feel ether pressure when it moves constantly,
but feel when it moves with acceleration.
This is almost everything to explain any experiment, but sometimes math becomes too complex.
So for me it is easier and more interesting is to look how exactly some specific experiment fits to this view and what new experiments I can find which do not fit to current accepted theories.