Explanation of Michelson/Morley/Miller Non-Null Ether Drift Results
Introduction. The null ether drift results with Michelson interferometry,
have been radically different experiments from the experiment that
Michelson/Morley, Morley/Miller and Miller did. The null results were
achieved with evacuation and metal shielding, which Michelson/Morley/Miller
did not employ. Other experiments, such as the Global Positioning System,
sometimes cited as null ether drift results, differ in even more ways from
Michelson/Morley/Miller.
Description of Michelson/Morley/Miller results. Using several different
interferometers (some of them nonferromagnetic) with many variations in
configuration, in many different laboratories in very different physical
environs in several geographic locations, at all times and seasons, over 40
years, and with trials to rule out suspected causes of error,
Michelson/Morley/Miller's "ether drift" results were consistent. Ascribing
the results to temperature or to any other kind of "error" is absurd. They
found an "ether drift" equal to the sum of the solar apex motion plus Earth's
orbital motion, with the following differences:
1. The phase shift was opposite in sign from what would be expected from
an "ether drift".
2. Parallel to Earth's axis, Miller's average drift equals the solar apex
motion. Perpendicular to Earth's axis, Miller's average drift is about 1/5 of
the solar apex motion.
3. The seasonal change in the drift is much smaller than expected and about
180 degrees out of phase, for both the perpendicular and the parallel
components.
4. There is a constant eastward or westward drift which varies seasonally as
a second harmonic.
My explanation of the above. Earth, and appurtenances near its field (such as
the interferometer), are FitzGerald contracted. The average parallel
component of the drift is due to contraction of the solid parts of Earth
(mantle and inner core), amounting to 70% of Earth's mass. Using the full
Hipparcos data set (Abad et al, Astronomy & Astrophysics 2002), this would
give contraction equivalent to a drift of 11.3 km/s, vs. 9.5 km/s observed by
Miller.
Contraction must be accompanied by mass migration to maintain Earth's shape.
Due to Earth's rotation, only the inner core can contract in response to the
perpendicular (equatorial plane) motion. The liquid outer core can slide
around it to maintain net roundness despite the inner core's slightly
lenticular shape. With only 1.7% of Earth's mass, the inner core provides an
average contraction for the Earth overall, equivalent to 2.6 km/s, vs. 3.4
km/s observed (276RA for the solar apex, vs. Miller's 254RA).
Miller found seasonal variation of about 1.5 km/s in both the perpendicular
and parallel components, much smaller than expected from the magnitude of
Earth's orbital velocity, and with roughly 180 degree lag. This can be
explained by a damping phenomenon.
The recently (Aug. 2005) reported 0.4 degree/day super-rotation of Earth's
inner core, could be due to the counterclockwise advancing total velocity
vector, when Earth's orbital velocity combines positively with the solar apex
motion. Heating and turbulence of Earth's outer core also would occur.
Finally, Miller found a twisting phenomenon which he called the "unexplained
azimuth variation". This could be due to a twisting of the Earth as the axis-
parallel contraction changes.
-Joseph C. Keller
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