A running commentary on Einstein's Aether and the Theory of Relativity

by Correa, Paulo N. & Correa, Alexandra N.
Aurora Biophysics Research Institute

J Aetherom Res, Volume 1, Issue 6 (May 2006),  pp. 1-21

Article ID:   JAR01-06-01

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ABSTRACT Einstein's Aether and the Theory of Relativity, an address he delivered in 1920 at the University of Leyden, gives a brief historic account of the concept of the Aether and discusses how the Aether is conceived by, and how it functions in, General Relativity. To quote a salient fragment: According to [General Relativity] the metric qualities of the continuum of Spacetime differ in the environment of different points of Spacetime, and are partly conditioned by the Matter existing outside of the territory under consideration. This Space-time variability of the reciprocal relations of the standards of space and time, or, perhaps, the recognition of the fact that "empty space" in its physical relation is neither homogeneous nor isotropic [...] has, I think, finally disposed of the view that space is physically empty. But therewith the conception of the Aether has again acquired an intelligible content, although this content differs widely from that of the Aether of the mechanical undulatory theory of light. The Aether of the General Theory of Relativity is a medium which is itself devoid of all mechanical and kinemassic qualities, but helps to determine mechanical (and electromagnetic) events. In the present communication, Paulo and Alexandra Correa provide a running commentary on Einstein's address, illuminating Einstein's text from an aetherometric perspective and explaining how the massfree Aether of Aetherometry differs from the Aether of General Relativity.