- #1
sanman
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So the famous Michelson-Morley experiment tells us that there is no aether, as proven by laser interferometry. Apparently, we can't have aether because one of the light beams would have been delayed by a "headwind" (motion of the aether relative to the Earth)
But what about the idea that the aether may not be a persistent medium, but rather a stochastic medium (a "bubbling foam"). When we watch waves ripple through a pool of water, we are seeing the displacement of persistent particles. The position and orientation of those persistent particles may change, but they are always there, and therefore the change in any particle is part of a continuity.
But what if the aether of space is a medium that is not composed of persistent particles, and is instead composed of non-persistent particles which are blinking in and out of existence? How does that affect the integrity of the Michelson-Morley experiment and the interpretation of its results?
If the aether is actually a bubbling foam, made of fleeting particles winking briefly in and out of existence, how does that affect the assumptions and the logic of Michelson-Morley?
Can you really experience an "aether wind" from particles that disappear before they can bunch up against you?
Let's compare the idea of running into the wind with the idea of running through the rain. If you run into the wind, then yes, you will feel the pressure of that wind impeding you (or helping you, if the wind is at your back). But if you run through the rain, then you won't feel your progress being impeded or helped. Relative to your plane of movement, those raindrops are brief and fleeting, only intersecting it briefly. There's no reason for you to run more slowly in the rain (well, other than the fact that you'd slip). Actually, if you look at the little tiny leaves and bits of grass lying on the ground, you'll see that the spattering raindrops do make them shake (Heisenberg's Uncertainty, DeBroglie Wavelength, Quantum Fuzziness).
The fact that the aether particles exist only briefly means that they don't exist long enough to create a persistent coherent reference frame. You need persistence to have "wind". If the aether constituents are not persistent, then naturally there will be no "aether wind".
Michelson-Morley may have disproved the existence of a certain kind of aether (ie. a persistent aether), but did it really disprove the existence of a stochastic dynamic aether (ie. a quantum foam)?
We use the phrase "SpaceTime Continuum", but suppose it's not really a continuum at all?
I really want to hear everyone's comments on this.
But what about the idea that the aether may not be a persistent medium, but rather a stochastic medium (a "bubbling foam"). When we watch waves ripple through a pool of water, we are seeing the displacement of persistent particles. The position and orientation of those persistent particles may change, but they are always there, and therefore the change in any particle is part of a continuity.
But what if the aether of space is a medium that is not composed of persistent particles, and is instead composed of non-persistent particles which are blinking in and out of existence? How does that affect the integrity of the Michelson-Morley experiment and the interpretation of its results?
If the aether is actually a bubbling foam, made of fleeting particles winking briefly in and out of existence, how does that affect the assumptions and the logic of Michelson-Morley?
Can you really experience an "aether wind" from particles that disappear before they can bunch up against you?
Let's compare the idea of running into the wind with the idea of running through the rain. If you run into the wind, then yes, you will feel the pressure of that wind impeding you (or helping you, if the wind is at your back). But if you run through the rain, then you won't feel your progress being impeded or helped. Relative to your plane of movement, those raindrops are brief and fleeting, only intersecting it briefly. There's no reason for you to run more slowly in the rain (well, other than the fact that you'd slip). Actually, if you look at the little tiny leaves and bits of grass lying on the ground, you'll see that the spattering raindrops do make them shake (Heisenberg's Uncertainty, DeBroglie Wavelength, Quantum Fuzziness).
The fact that the aether particles exist only briefly means that they don't exist long enough to create a persistent coherent reference frame. You need persistence to have "wind". If the aether constituents are not persistent, then naturally there will be no "aether wind".
Michelson-Morley may have disproved the existence of a certain kind of aether (ie. a persistent aether), but did it really disprove the existence of a stochastic dynamic aether (ie. a quantum foam)?
We use the phrase "SpaceTime Continuum", but suppose it's not really a continuum at all?
I really want to hear everyone's comments on this.
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