An optical mechanism for aberration of starlight

TL;DR

This paper develops a physical-optics theory explaining aberration of starlight through sensor imaging physics, predicting differences from relativistic models at high sensor speeds, and proposes an experiment to test these theories.

Contribution

It introduces a wavefront-imaging physics-based model for aberration, including media effects, and suggests an experimental test to distinguish it from relativistic predictions.

Findings

Sensor imaging physics fully explains aberration.

Predictions differ from relativistic models at high speeds.

Proposes an experiment to test the theory.

Abstract

We present a physical-optics based theory of the physical mechanism for aberration of starlight. We apply non-relativistic and relativistic theories for wavefront image formation and include the effects of optically transmitting media within the sensor. We show that the sensors imaging properties combined with finite velocity of light fully accounts for aberration. That is, the influence of the moving sensor on the incident wavefront from the star fully explains aberration. Our treatment differs from all previous derivations because we include wavefront-imaging physics within the sensor model. Our predictions match Earth-sensor based measurements, but differ at larger sensor speeds from predictions of the special relativistic-based theory. While experimental uncertainty resulting from the low Earth-orbital velocity prevents experimental confirmation of the special relativistic model of aberration, we find that Earth-based sensors containing refractive optical media could experimentally differentiate between these competing descriptions and, in addition, yield an independent test of time dilation. We derive and present the details of such an experiment.