Reactive Substrate Theory Explains the Michelson‑Morley Null Result

Reactive Substrate Theory Explains the Michelson‑Morley Null Result

The Michelson‑Morley experiment looked for an “aether wind” by testing whether the speed of light changes with direction as Earth moves through a supposed fixed medium. It found no such variation. Reactive Substrate Theory (RST) explains that null result by changing what we mean by the medium that carries light. Instead of a rigid, absolute aether, RST treats space as a dynamic Substrate that becomes locally comoving with matter. The result: laboratory apparatus and the Substrate that sets the local speed of light move together, and no wind is measurable.

Quick statement of the idea

• The Substrate is a continuous field S that pervades space and has local tension and geometric rigidity.
• Light is an excitation of S whose propagation speed depends on the local state of S.
• Matter is a soliton of S that stabilizes the Substrate locally. Objects and instruments built from that matter therefore sit in a Substrate state that moves with them.
• Because the laboratory and the local Substrate are effectively comoving, round‑trip light‑speed tests return the same value in every direction.

Glossary

Substrate field S — The continuous, dynamic field that fills space and carries tension and rigidity.

Soliton — A stable, localized stress formation in S; the RST model of matter.

Local tension — The parameter of S that determines stiffness and therefore wave propagation speed.

Light excitation — A transverse excitation of S that appears as electromagnetic radiation to observers.

Comoving Substrate — The stabilized local configuration of S around matter which moves with matter and sets the local value of c.

Intuitive analogy

Imagine a flexible rubber membrane that covers a large area. If you tie a tight knot in the membrane, the immediate area around the knot becomes stiffer and the membrane there moves together with the knot when you slide it. Small ripples travel at one speed across unstressed membrane and at a different speed across the stiff knot region. If your measuring device is sitting on the knot, it moves with that stiffened patch and therefore never detects any relative motion between itself and the patch it measures. In RST the universe is like that membrane, solitons are the knots, and light is the ripple. The lab is sitting on the knot, so there is no wind to detect.

Image suggestion

Illustration: a stretched rubber membrane with a prominent knot; arrows show ripples (light) and a small device sitting on the knot. Prefer flat, schematic style, labeled: "Soliton (matter)", "Comoving patch", "Ripples (light)". Use muted palette; SVG or simple vector art works best.

One‑equation visual

Wave propagation speed in continua is controlled by stiffness over inertia. In RST the same qualitative relation holds for transverse excitations of the Substrate:

c ≈ √(T_local / ρ_eff)

Here T_local is the local Substrate tension set by nearby solitons and ρ_eff is the effective inertial response of the Substrate. The key point is that T_local is fixed by the presence of matter, so the measured c is tied to the laboratory’s Substrate environment.

Experiment you can try

Title: Local mass perturbation near an ultra‑stable optical cavity

Why this test

RST predicts a very small change in cavity resonance frequency if a large mass shifts the local Substrate tension near the cavity. Standard Special Relativity predicts no such immediate local frequency change beyond ordinary gravitational redshift effects handled by GR.

What you need

• High‑stability optical cavity or ultrastable laser with fractional frequency stability ≤ 10⁻¹⁶.
• Dense movable mass (lead or tungsten block, compact arrangement ≈10³–10⁴ kg equivalent) on a controlled actuator to vary distance by a few meters.
• Frequency comparison system and environmental monitoring (temperature, vibration, magnetic fields).

Procedure

1. Record baseline cavity frequency for several hours with the mass far away.
2. Move the mass to a closer position over a controlled interval, hold, then return; repeat cycles.
3. Monitor cavity frequency residuals synchronized to mass motion and filter environmental influences.
4. Search for repeatable, time‑correlated fractional frequency shifts synchronized to the mass position.

RST prediction

A tiny, reversible fractional frequency offset when the mass is near, caused by local reconfiguration of Substrate tension. The effect should scale with mass and inverse distance in a way distinct from pure gravitational potential. A useful sensitivity target is fractional shifts in the 10⁻¹⁶ to 10⁻¹⁸ range for meter‑scale mass moves.

What would falsify RST (this parameter range)

If repeated well‑controlled runs with sensitivity below the predicted level show no correlated frequency change beyond known gravitational redshift and environmental systematics, that parameter range of RST would be excluded.

Practical notes

• Use vibration isolation and common‑path frequency comparisons to reduce false positives.
• Publish raw timestamps and environmental logs so others can reproduce and analyze the data.
• If a candidate signal appears, vary mass geometry and timing to test scaling laws.

Closing

RST keeps the useful idea of a medium while removing the rigid, absolute aether that caused the Michelson‑Morley paradox. By treating the Substrate as a dynamic field that becomes comoving with matter, RST gives a natural account of why local experiments measure the same speed of light in every direction.

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