Vibrating Rays Theory

TL;DR

This paper revisits Vibrating Rays Theory (VRT), proposing it as a viable alternative to special relativity, explaining its implications, experimental consistency, and potential to account for spacecraft anomalies and light propagation phenomena.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive interpretation of VRT, discusses its experimental compatibility, and presents a model including longitudinal waves, along with ongoing experiments to test its validity.

Findings

VRT can explain spacecraft Doppler anomalies.

VRT is compatible with known electromagnetic experiments.

Ongoing experiments aim to distinguish VRT from special relativity.

Abstract

The present work is aimed to explain why we started to consider Vibrating Rays Theory (VRT) as a viable representation of nature, and to elaborate some of its consequences. In 1846 Faraday introduced the concept of vibrating rays, in which an atom is conceived as having rays that extend to infinity and move with it. According to this point of view, electromagnetic radiative phenomena correspond to vibration of these rays, which propagate at speed c relative to the rays (and the atom). Although a discussion on this subject might seem to be out-of-date, there are many reasons that justified this debate. The first reason is based on the fact that the constancy of the speed of light, irrespective of the source movement, has not been demonstrated experimentally in a conclusive way. In fact, only ballistic emission theories can be discarded by the experimental results. The second reason is based on the fact that study of radiometric data from spacecrafts indicates the existence of different kinds of anomalous Doppler residuals. We will show that these anomalies exhibit a signature of Vibrating Rays Theory. The third reason is related to the time definition in a rotating frame. According to SRT there is not a unique way to assign a time, whereas under VRT no contradictions are present. And finally, that a properly stated Vibrating Rays Theory is compatible with all known experiments on electromagnetism and light propagation. In the present work we will (1) explain how VRT should be interpreted, and why past experiments were misinterpreted, (2) show the characteristics of VRT that are present in spacecraft anomalies, (3) give a possible theoretical model (including the possible presence of longitudinal waves), and (4) describe results in an ongoing experiment designed to distinguish between VRT and SRT models.