Aberration and the Question of Equivalence of some Ether Theories to Special Relativity

TL;DR

This paper investigates whether various ether-like theories, developed through different synchronization methods, are truly equivalent to special relativity, providing evidence through a Gedankenexperiment on light aberration.

Contribution

It offers a strong argument, via a Gedankenexperiment, that these ether theories are not necessarily equivalent to special relativity for inertial system experiments.

Findings

Ether theories are not proven equivalent to special relativity.

Gedankenexperiment challenges the assumed equivalence.

Results suggest differences in light aberration predictions.

Abstract

In the last two decades, theories explaining the same experiments as well as special relativity does, were developed by using different synchronization procedures. All of them are ether-like theories. Most authors believe these theories to be equivalent to special relativity, but no general proof was ever brought. By means of a Gedankenexperiment on light aberration, we produce strong evidence that this is the case for experiments made in inertial systems.