03-July-2006, 06:26 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: center of the universe
Posts: 154
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Eta C
Here are links to some of the Physics News Updates on recent MM-type experiments. The releases also contain links to the relevant journal articles should anyone want to peruse those.
A German group that uses cryogenic optical resonators
Further results from this group. Of note, this experiment shows "that special relativity passes their high-precision test with flying colors: the speed of light does not depend on its direction of propagation to within 1.7 parts in 10^15, an accuracy about three times higher compared to the best previous experiment." The link also mentions several space based experiments that will eventually put the kibosh to objections that previous experiments were only done on Earth. This group published some of its results in Physical Review Letters in a paper Modern Michelson-Morley Experiment using Cryogenic Optical Resonators PRL V91, Number 2, 11 July 2003 page 020401-1
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As for the Holger Muller experiments, here is a quote from Galileo Was Wrong:
The experimental care taken in this experiment is impressive, but futile, if intended to detect the influence of the ether on c. Lessons learned long before have been forgotten. The experimenter’s text below indicates the missteps taken: solid silica and sapphire crystal; and vacuum-sealed, instead of a gaseous medium.
At the core of the experimental setup is an optical cavity fabricated from fused silica (L = 3 cm, 20 kHz line width) which is continuously rotated on a precision air bearing turntable. Its frequency is compared to that of a stationary cavity oriented north-south (L = 10 cm, 10 kHz line width). Each cavity is mounted inside a thermally shielded vacuum chamber.
The apparatus diagram, although only a schematic, indicates the clutter of support and ancillary structures used in a vain attempt at accuracy. It is also a safe assumption the experiment was performed in a laboratory, buried in the bowels of a building. Can sunlight be detected in a windowless cellar? What value would be placed on a null result of < 10-15 for sunlight detection, if the cellar shielded the detector from the sun? Would we say there is no sunlight, because the experiment was done in darkness? ...
Mark
P.S. I am not sure if the Lipa experiment was reviewed. I will check the references.
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