Aether Drift

PUBLISHER'S COMMENTS John Granville has conducted an experiment to test the reverse of the Michelson and Morley æther drift experiment-he has looked for a stationary æther! Convinced there must be an æther it was obvious it would have to be stationary with the earth. Realizing that this would be possible if the æther was the underlying "substance" that produced the electrostatic force, he investigated the theoretical possibility for a number of years. Eventually he became convinced the æther was not only the substance underlying the electrostatic force but also the direct source of the electromagnetic field! Having spent so many years on this investigation and having found such direct theoretical confirmation, he decided to make a preliminary experimental investigation. In his words, "I had no doubt at that point that the experiment would be successful." Having a certain amount of familiarity with laser interferometers he eventually settled on a Michelson/Morley type of experiment with the variation that the interferometer would move (i.e., relative to the earth's surface-through a stationary æther). He designed a new interferometer with a resolution of ~ 1 angstrom (described in detail in the book-something he believes has never been done before) and set out to confirm his hypotheses. This book is a report of the results of that experiment. It is at the very least an interesting book, but if his experiment receives independent confirmation it will be the most important experiment in the past century. He gives a preliminary introduction to the thinking underlying the experiment, and is currently preparing a manuscript for a more detailed presentation. If you are interested in this sort of thing the book is a "must read."