Gardner's Hypothesis and the Michelson–Morley Experiment

Abstract

WHEN Gardner's hypothesis (see preceding communication) is applied to the Michelson–Morley experiment, performed with an interferometer with horizontal rigid arms, carried on the rotating earth, it yields the following formula for fringe-shifts if we take the drag-point to be the centre of the earth: Here δ is the fringe-shift, w the fringe-width, D the arm-length of the interferometer, λ the wave-length used, E the velocity of the earth's surface due to the earth's rotation alone, c the velocity of light, ϕ the deviation of the plumb line, and θ the azimuth of the telescope arm, from the north eastward. If, on the other hand, the drag-point is near the interferometer, the predicted fringe-shift is below the limits of observation.