Nineteenth-Century Aether Theories

Nineteenth-Century Aether Theories focuses on aether theories.
The selection first offers information on the development of aether theories by taking into consideration the positions of Christiaan Huygens, Thomas Young, and Augustin Fresnel. The text then examines the elastic solid aether. Concerns include Green's aether theory, MacCullagh's aether theory, and Kelvin's aether theory.
The text also reviews Lorentz' aether and electron theory. The development of Lorentz' ideas of the stagnant aether and electrons; Lorentz' theorem of corresponding states and its development; and Lorentz' response to the Michelson-Morley experiment are discussed.
The book discusses the relative motion of the earth and the luminiferous aether and laws of the reflection and refraction of light at the common surface of two non-crystallized media. The text also focuses on the electrical and optical phenomena in moving bodies; simplified theory of electrical and optical phenomena in moving systems; and rotational aether in its application to electromagnetism.
The selection is a dependable reference for readers wanting to study aether theories.

Contenu

Contents
Preface
Part 1
I. Introduction : the Functions of the Aether
II. The Historical Background of the Nineteenth-century
Aether through Young and Fresnel
III. Aberration from Bradley to Michelson and Morley
IV. The Elastic Solid Aether
V. The Electromagnetic Aether
VI. Lorentz' Aether and the Electron Theory: the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies
References
Part 2

1. Letter from Augustin Fresnel to Francois Arago, On the Influence of the Movement of the Earth on Some Phenomena of Optics
2. On the Aberration of Light
3. On the Relative Motion of the Earth and the Luminiferous Aether
4. On the Laws of the Reflexion and Refraction of Light at the Common Surface of Two Non-crystallized Media
5. An Essay Towards a Dynamical Theory of Crystalline Reflexion and Refraction (Sections I and III)
6. On a Gyrostatic Adynamic Constitution for 'Ether'
7. On the Electromagnetic Theory of the Reflection and Refraction of Light (an extract)
8. The Rotational Ether in its Application to Electromagnetism
9. Aether and Matter (sections 49-54, 102-16)
10. An Inquiry into Electrical and Optical Phenomena in Moving Bodies (Introduction)
11. Simplified Theory of Electrical and Optical Phenomena in Moving Systems
    Index