The End of the Aether (and the Beginning of Something New) After the Michelson-Morley experiment, aether theory reached a dead end. Having the aether be stationary with respect to Earth contradicted Maxwell's theory as well as many astronomical experiments; however having it moving with respect to Earth contradicted the Michelson-Morley experiment. One of the first scientists to acknowledge this problem, and propose a solution to it, was Hendrik Lorentz. Lorentz proposed that the length of objects moving relative to the aether contracted in the direction of motion. This solution was able to explain the null result of the Michelson-Morley experiment as the distance the light traveled contracted in the direction of motion of the aether. He first published his theory in 1892, and later on revised it till the early 1900. Though his theory did not rise, due to a different scientist's publication - Albert Einstein. The cover of Lorentz's book. Translation: The Maxwell electromagnetic theory and its application to moving bodies. In 1905 Albert Einstein published one of the most influential physics papers in history: On the electrodynamics of moving bodies. In this paper he described his theory of special relativity. This theory brought to an end the theories of luminiferous aether by using the principle of relativity, that the laws of physics are true in all frames of reference, and by assuming that the speed of light is the same in all frames of reference. However his mathematical outcome was similar to that of Lorentz's aether theory, and the mathematics Lorentz developed, most notably the Lorentz transformations, form the basis of special relativity. Though aether theory was discarded, it still played a major role in the development of modern physics, and it paved the way for our current understanding of the world. The theory of the aether shows that even physical theories that are taken for granted can be falsified; and that we must learn to better understand our world, even if that means abandoning the ideas we assume obsolete. The luminiferous aether might have served its role, but similar ideas of mediums (for example quantum fields), that fill space, still exist in modern physics. The story of the luminiferous aether is an important one in history of physics, and its heritage is still rich and relevant today. Sources and Outside Material                            Homepage