Reactive Substrate Theory Review: Special Relativity and the Michelson–Morley Experiment
Reactive Substrate Theory Core Equation
(∂2tS − c2∇2S + βS3) = σ(x, t) · FR(C[Ψ])
Explanation: This equation models the continuous elastic substrate S. The left-hand side represents substrate dynamics (time evolution, wave propagation, and nonlinear self-interaction), while the right-hand side represents matter solitons σ(x,t) and informational coupling FR(C[Ψ]).
RST Review: Special Relativity and the Michelson–Morley Experiment
The video “Special Relativity 1: Michelson–Morley Experiment” explains how the famous interferometer test sought to detect an ether wind but found none. From the Reactive Substrate Theory (RST) perspective, this null result is not a paradox but a confirmation: the substrate is a non‑material, elastic medium that supports light without drag.
Why Ether Wind Was Never Detected
- No drag: The substrate transmits shear waves without resisting matter, so motion through it produces no measurable “wind.”
- Elastic Lorentz symmetry: Contraction and dilation are elastic conservation laws of the substrate, ensuring isotropy of
c. - Unified medium: Both matter and light are excitations of the same substrate; relative motion is encoded in tension/phase transformations, not fluid flow past objects.
RST Interpretation of Light and Matter
| Aspect | Classical Ether View | RST Perspective |
|---|---|---|
| Light | Wave in a particulate ether, subject to wind | Transverse shear wave in substrate; speed c set by tension |
| Matter | Separate particles moving through ether | Solitons (σ): stable knots of substrate tension |
| Relativity | Requires ad hoc transformations to explain null results | Emerges naturally from substrate elasticity; invariance is a physical property of S |
Experiment Outcome in RST
The Michelson–Morley null result is expected in RST: the substrate is non‑dragging, so ether wind signatures cannot appear. Instead, relativity emerges as the elastic law of the medium, unifying matter, light, and motion.
👉 In short: RST reframes the Michelson–Morley experiment as proof that space is not empty but a continuous elastic Substrate Field (S). Null results confirm its non‑dragging nature and show that relativity is the natural consequence of substrate elasticity.
