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GR: Fachverband Gravitation und Relativitätstheorie

GR 13: Classical GR

GR 13.7: Talk

Thursday, March 22, 2018, 18:55–19:15, NW-Bau - HS3

Einstein and the Ether — •Albrecht Giese — Taxusweg 15, 22605 Hamburg

The development of the theory of relativity is closely connected to the development of the view of the ether. At the time when several variants of the theory of relativity were being discussed (around 1900), the corresponding understanding of the phenomenon ether played a crucial role.

Special relativity can be treated comparatively well with or without reference to an ether. The situation is, however, more complicated in the case of general relativity. In contrast to Einstein, his colleagues Ernst Mach and Hendrik Lorentz, who were very familiar with Einstein's view, tended to regard the ether as an unavoidable assumption in this context.

We will present both sides of the argument and discuss the possible conclusions in the light of our present knowledge of physics.

More info: Ludwik Kostro, Einstein and the Ether, Apeiron 2000.