Author(s)

Stephan J. G. Gift

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.

In this paper, a simple test of special relativity involving light transmission through a uniformly moving medium and Fresnel’s drag coefficient is discussed. It is shown using Fresnel drag that there is a difference in propagation time of two light beams travelling in opposite directions in such a medium and that this time difference is independent of the index of refraction of the medium. This result has been experimentally confirmed by Wang et al. but cannot be explained by special relativity. Fresnel drag in the context of ether theory provides a full and accurate explanation that is consistent with the existence of a preferred frame.

Ether Theory, Special Relativity, Fresnel Drag, Sagnac Effect

Gift, S. (2021) Simple Test of Special Relativity Involving Fresnel Drag and Light Propagation in a Uniformly Moving Medium. Journal of Applied Mathematics and Physics, 9, 2660-2668. doi: 10.4236/jamp.2021.911171.