In the 19th century Physics, light waves were regarded as undulations in an all pervading elastic medium called 'ether' or 'aether'. However, in order to accommodate the notion of ether in the framework of physical universe as known at that time, some self-contradicting properties had to be ascribed to this ether medium. The scientists were generally not at ease with the notion of ether, essentially due to the fact that matter and ether medium were regarded as two separate, independent entities. Maxwell's development of the electromagnetic theory of light, rendered the ether superfluous as the electromagnetic field was also granted an independent status, capable of independent existence just as matter. It is generally believed that the notion of ether was discarded as a consequence of the negative result of Michelson-Morley experiment. However, the MM experiment can be shown to be fundamentally invalid. In a separate article on Invalidation of MMexp (.pdf File) it has been shown that even if the MM experiment was conducted in the backdrop of ‘vacuum’ instead of ‘aether’, it would still have given the same negative result thus ‘proving the non-existence of ‘vacuum’!! Actually the MM experiment had nothing to do with the existence of aether or vacuum. Its negative result is attributed to faulty expectations based on faulty assumptions. In fact the MM experiment had attempted to detect and establish an aether frame of reference or a Preferred Reference Frame in which the velocity of light could be taken as an isotropic constant c. With the current advancements in technology such a detection of Preferred or Universal Reference Frame is now feasible.
On the question of existence of 'aether', the scientific community today appears to be split into two groups; those who strongly believe in its existence and those who do not. Currently, a fierce debate between these two groups seems to be picking up. The discussions now are no longer limited to the existence or otherwise of the aether but also tend to encompass its specific properties. However, even among those who believe in the existence of ether, as yet there is no unanimity on the specific properties to be ascribed to this entity. Even though from its very inception, the notion of ether was conceived as some sort of 'elastic' medium, so far no scientist has attempted to specifically target the ELASTICITY properties of the aether.
Now, there is a growing realization in the scientific circles that matter and electromagnetic field, both appear to be having a common origin in the 'empty space' or the 'vacuum'. There is also a notion of vacuum energy and a phenomenon of creation, annihilation and transmutation of unstable elementary particles occurring in vacuum. If we slightly 'disturb' an electron from its position, the disturbance in its electric field propagates at a constant velocity c in this vacuum. An electromagnetic wave packet or the photon also propagates at a constant velocity c in this vacuum. The velocity 'c' of propagation of electromagnetic disturbances is governed by the permittivity (ε0) and permeability (μ0) constants associated with the empty space or vacuum. In this context let me quote Albert Einstein from one of his lectures delivered in 1920, regarding the old notion of aether, "It should no longer be regarded as a substance but simply as the totality of those physical quantities which are to be associated with matter-free space".
As discussed in a separate article titled, 'Permittivity and Permeability Constants of Vacuum', the dimensional parameters ε0 and μ0 being measurable quantities, represent some most fundamental property of the entity called 'vacuum' or 'empty space'. The dimensional parameter 'c' obtained as an inverse square root of their product, is also a measurable quantity. Another dimensional parameter 'Z0' known as the 'intrinsic impedance' of vacuum or free space and obtained as a square root of their ratio, is also a measurable quantity. In fact Z0 = 377 ohm. The concept of dimensions is based on established physical laws and observed inter-relationship between various physical quantities. Just as the physical laws and the observed inter-relationships are not arbitrary, the dimensions of corresponding physical quantities are also not arbitrary. Quoting Percy William Bridgman from an article in Encyclopedia Britannica :
"The view has
been very common that a dimensional formula expresses the essential physical
nature of a quantity. From this point of view the present indeterminateness in
dimensional formulas is an expression of our present incomplete knowledge of
the complete physical mechanism, and the time is anticipated when we should be
able to write the correct dimensional formula for the dielectric constant and
the magnetic permeability of empty space."
We had also discussed in another article titled ‘What If the Permittivity and Permeability of Vacuum were Zero’, that if the physical quantities ε0 & μ0, characterizing the entity called 'vacuum' or 'free space', assume the extreme values of zero or infinity, the 'vacuum' will not be able to support any energy or matter particles and lead to the collapse of the very concept of 'time' as well as the observable material Universe. Isn't it then logical to expect that present finite values of ε0 and μ0 must have played a crucial role in the evolution of our observable Universe!!
Originally the concept of space had been introduced purely as a reference framework, as a reference coordinate space for representing the physical universe at any given instant of time. The space-time continuum on the other hand, was intended to provide an extended 4-D reference framework to represent the dynamic physical activity in the universe. But as shown in a separate article titled GTR is Founded on a Conceptual Mistake additional notion of 'deformability' or 'Elasticity' has also been attributed to the empty space. When we view the empty space as an 'elastic space', as a supporter or 'holder' of 'vacuum energy'; or when we ascribe the physical 'dimensional' properties of permittivity and permeability to the empty space, we are extending the role of physical space much beyond the reference framework. In fact when we consider the additional notion of 'elastic space' or 'deformable space' (as implied by GR), we may still need a reference framework to keep a track of relative displacements of 'space points'. Therefore, ideally speaking, we might assign a different name to the additional notion of 'elastic space' and treat it as a different entity from the old reference space!! Just as the old reference space may be considered to be a continuum of space points, the new entity 'elastic space' may also be considered as a similar continuum with the additional property of elasticity. Hence we might refer to this new entity of 'elastic space' as an 'Elastic Continuum'. The most significant distinction between the two notions is that while the old ‘Ether Medium’ was conceived as a discreet set of minute particles or points, the revised notion of 'Elastic Continuum' is conceived essentially as a continuum of points.
A close scrutiny of fundamental notions behind the physical concepts of 'vacuum', 'ether' and the 'Elastic Continuum' will show that in fact they represent ONE and the SAME entity. It appears that all the electromagnetic phenomena, all energy entrapping and exchange processes and all characteristic wave motion that we usually believe to be occurring in empty space, can be viewed to be occurring in the elastic continuum with elasticity constant 1/ε0 and inertial constant μ0 in appropriate units. This revised notion of 'ether' no longer requires it to be 'thin, ideal fluid' to allow free unrestricted motion of matter through it since matter is no longer considered an independent entity separate from the 'ether' or the 'Elastic Continuum'.
Bjørn Karlsen has presented a Sketch of Matter Model in an Elastic Universe at web site <http://home.sol.no/~ursinkar/> .
A few relevant remarks from that article are reproduced below:
· "The resemblance between elastodynamics and electrodynamics has been known for a long time, and was first pointed out by Sir William Thomson Kelvin in a memoir of 1847."
· "A homogeneous, isotropic, and elastic medium filling up all space might well show up to be a useful point of departure to forming a complete model of cosmos, where matter is represented by islands of energy in the form of disturbances combined with displacements in the medium."
·
"-Space
behaves like an elastic continuum..."
I fully agree with the conceptual viewpoint of Bjørn Karlsen and will therefore like to represent the modern view of Ether as an Elastic Continuum. But of course, there is enormous difference in further approach, assumptions and the details of this Elastic Continuum. Like all other proponents of the aether medium, he too did not specifically target the ELASTICITY properties of the Continuum.
The most striking feature of the proposed Elastic Continuum concept is that it essentially reinterprets the already known fundamental properties of 'empty space' or the 'vacuum' as the elastic and inertial properties of the Elastic Continuum pervading the physical reference space. The whole concept of Elastic Continuum is centered around the ELASTICITY properties of the Continuum which are none other than the permittivity (ε0) and permeability (μ0) of 'vacuum' reinterpreted as the elasticity constant (1/ε0) and inertial constant (μ0) in appropriate units. Such a practically unbounded Elastic Continuum supports dynamic stress/strain waves subject to appropriate equilibrium equations and boundary conditions. The energy density associated with these stress/strain waves in any particular region of the continuum will be proportional to the square of the intensity of such waves. The matter particles essentially exist in this Elastic Continuum as packets of standing strain wave oscillations whose total strain energy remains 'conserved' in the absence of any interaction with other strain waves or packets.
Obviously, most readers will have one crucial question uppermost in their mind; that is, how exactly do we detect the presence of 'vacuum' or 'empty space' or 'free space' or 'ether' or the 'elastic continuum'? Actually the question is meaningful only when we presume that the Ether or the Elastic Continuum is something different from our familiar 'free space' with the characteristic properties of permittivity (ε0) and permeability (μ0). However, the detection and measurement of any physical entity actually involves the detection and measurement of some of its characteristic attributes. Such characteristic attributes of the Ether or the Elastic Continuum are ε0, μ0, c and Z0 (intrinsic impedance of free space), which have been measured quite precisely. What in fact is needed is a better grasp, a better understanding of the formation, stability and mutual dynamic interaction characteristics of the strain wave packets (particles) in the Elastic Continuum. Currently the Quantum Mechanics endeavors to study such 'mutual dynamic interaction characteristics' of particles through statistical techniques without any grasp of their inherent physical reality. For example the 'ψ' wave function is generally viewed as a complex statistical function, rather than a function representing the 'pilot' strain waves associated with the motion of 'strain wave packets' through the Elastic Continuum. Similarly the Elementary Particle Physics endeavors to study the formation, stability and transmutation characteristics of such strain wave packets through statistical techniques, without grasping their inherent physical reality.
“Universe is the manifestation of dynamic interplay of
stress/strain waves and packets in the Elastic Continuum.”
·
Time is
a Relative Measure of
Change
·
GTR is Founded on a Conceptual
Mistake
·
What Ails the Fundamental Research in Physics
·
Permittivity and Permeability Constants of Vacuum
·
What If the Permittivity and Permeability of
Vacuum were Zero
· Physical Theory and Mathematical Models
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