If a divided beam of light is re-united after passing through two
adjacent cylinders filled with water, ordinary interference fringes will
be produced. If the water in one of the cylinders is now made to flow,
the “condensed” ether within the flowing water would be convected and
would produce a shift in the interference fringes. The shift actually
observed agreed very well with a value of k = 1 - 1/μ^2. The Fresnelian
convection-coefficient now became firmly established as a consequence of
a direct positive effect. On the other hand, the negative evidences in
favour of the convection-coefficient had also multiplied. Mascart, Hoek,
Maxwell and others sought for definite changes in different optical
effects induced by the motion of the earth relative to the stationary
ether. But all such attempts failed to reveal the slightest trace of any
optical disturbance due to the “absolute” velocity of the earth, thus
proving conclusively that all the different optical effects shared in
the general compensation arising out of the Fresnelian convection of the
excess ether. It must be carefully noted that the Fresnelian
convection-coefficient implicitly assumes the existence of a fixed ether
(Fresnel) or at least a wholly stagnant medium at sufficiently distant
regions (Stokes), with reference to which alone a convection velocity
can have any significance. Thus the convection-coefficient implying some
type of a stationary or viscous, yet nevertheless “absolute” ether,
succeeded in explaining satisfactorily all known optical facts down to
1880.
_Michelson-Morley Experiment._—In 1881, Michelson and Morley performed
their classical experiments which undermined the whole structure of the
old ether theory and thus served to introduce the new theory of
relativity. The fundamental idea underlying this experiment is quite
simple. In all old experiments the velocity of light situated in free
ether was compared with the velocity of waves actually situated in a
piece of moving matter and presumably carried away by it. The
compensatory effect of the Fresnelian convection of ether afforded a
satisfactory explanation of all negative results.
In the Michelson-Morley experiment the arrangement is quite different.
If there is a definite gap in a rigid body, light waves situated in free
ether will take a definite time in crossing the gap. If the rigid
platform carrying the gap is set in motion with respect to the ether in
the direction of light propagation, light waves (which are even now
situated in free ether) should presumably take a longer time to cross
the gap.
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