The Conspiracy of Light:

    If time dilation is not real and is just an illusion caused by motion and the finite speed of light (C), then we must assume alternatively that time is absolute and the speed of light is constant in at least one preferred frame. It immediately follows that the velocity of light as perceived from all other moving frames must be some velocity other than C, namely C=+/-v, where v is the velocity of the moving frame. The fact that light is perceived to be exactly C (on Earth) in all inertial frames suggests that either:

1) relativity is correct, which leads us to a series of paradoxes and contradictions regarding time, or

2) That  the speed of light C can change, but this change is somehow hidden from our view.  

We then define a "conspiracy of light" as any process in nature that is capable of masking or hiding from our view the possible fact that the velocity of any observer can add to or subtract from the measured speed of light. 

If the conspiracy of light is real, it would mean that the currently accepted relativistic interpretation of nature can be replaced by one of a group of alterative theories involving absolute time and preferred frames of reference. This website seeks to examine the experimental evidence to date to see if it is possible to choose among these theoretical alternatives, which are essentially mathematically equivalent  to relativity, and thus make similar predictions for the same experiments.

Comparison of Select Experiments to Date:

Experiment

Supports

Einstein's

Relativity

Supports

Lorentz Ether Theory (LET)

Supports LET + Gravitational Frame Dragging

Discussion link at this website

Bradley Stellar Aberration (1725)

      

 

 

The Aberration of Light and the Experiment of Ernest Esclangon.

Arago Experiment (1810)

   

 

The Aberration of Light and the Experiment of Ernest Esclangon.

Fizeau Experiment (1851)

    

 

The Aberration of Light and the Experiment of Ernest Esclangon.

Hoek Experiment (1868)

         

 

The Hoek Experiment (1868) 

Michelson Morley Experiment (1887)

   

Michelson and Morley Experiment (1887).

Sagnac Experiment (1913)

? (1)

The Michelson-Gale Experiment (1925)

Eddington Experiment (1919)

    

Light Propagation in a Gravitational Field.

Michelson Gale Experiment (1925)

    

The Michelson-Gale Experiment (1925)

Esclangon Experiment (1927)

X

? (2)

The Aberration of Light and the Experiment of Ernest Esclangon.

Kennedy Thorndike Experiment (1932)

   

The Kennedy Thorndike Experiment

Construction of an All Fiber Optic Michelson Interferometer

Ives Stillwell Experiment (1939, 1942)

     

Time Dilation, and How it Could be an Illusion.

The Premise for Comparing Ether Theory to Relativity Theory.

Dufour Prunier Experiment (1942)

X (1)

(1942) On the Fringe Movement Registered on a Platform in Uniform Motion

Pound Rebka Experiment (1959)

    

Light Propagation in a Gravitational Field.

Sherwin Experiment (1960)

    

Gravitational Time Dilation - A Lorentzian Interpretation 

Shamir and Fox Experiment (1969)

 

   

The Kennedy Thorndike Experiment

Construction of an All Fiber Optic Michelson Interferometer

Hafele Keating Experiment (1971)

? (1)

Gravitational Time Dilation - A Lorentzian Interpretation 

Cialdea Experiment (1972)

neutral

neutral

neutral

A Replication of the Cialdea One-Way Speed of Light Experiment

Trimmer Experiment (1973)

   

The Continuing Relevance of Lorentz Ether Theory
in the Age of Relativity


NPA-18 Slide Presentation: The Continuing Relevance of Lorentz Ether Theory in the Age of Relativity

Bailey Experiment (1977)

   

Gravitational Time Dilation - A Lorentzian Interpretation 

Brillet and Hall Experiment (1979)

   

The Continuing Relevance of Lorentz Ether Theory
in the Age of Relativity

Silvertooth Experiment (1987)

neutral neutral neutral A Single Laser One-Way Speed of light Experiment using a Standing Wave Interferometer

A replication of the Silvertooth Experiment

Gagnon Experiment (1988)

   

The Continuing Relevance of Lorentz Ether Theory
in the Age of Relativity

Ragulsky Experiment (1997)

   

Shamir and Fox Experiment Simulator

Construction of an All Fiber Optic Michelson Interferometer

Mueller Experiment (2003)

   

The Continuing Relevance of Lorentz Ether Theory
in the Age of Relativity

Wang Experiment (2005)

X (1)

The Sagnac Effect: Does it Contradict Relativity?

GPS Sagnac Effect (current)

X (1)

X (3)

The Sagnac Effect: Does it Contradict Relativity?

GPS Propagation Range Simulator

The Use of Moved Clocks: How this Challenges Special Relativity.

= in agreement with evidence 

? = questionable - issues with full fit to evidence      

X - contradicted by at least one piece of evidence 

TBA = write-up pending   

Notes:

1) Sagnac experiments tend to imply that the speed of light is different in at least two frames, contradicting the constancy of the speed of light postulate of special relativity (SR). Recourse to general relativity (GR) is questionable in certain specific experiments, see writeups for details.  

2) Any ether drift experiment that suggests that it is possible to detect earth's translational motion through space contradicts the idea of gravitational frame dragging.

3) In the Sagnac effect, rotation is ultimately with respect to the fixed stars (aka absolute space) - this contradicts the idea that the ECI frame of the earth could be a preferred frame for the speed of light.