15 The Principle of Relativity: The Lost Crystal
149
characteristics of a harmonic oscillation, its angular velocity ω and its total energy
U , do not allow us to draw a conclusion about the mechanical state of the oscillating
system’. We discovered, as we considered only two of these elastic coupled masses
that the transportation of energy U occurs in the same manner as it does with waves.
Such a transportation of energy through a complete system of elastic coupled masses
disguises the physical nature, as well as the number of these masses. We have seen
how this was established in axioms of Newtonian mechanics in Chaps. 4 and 5.
An elastic wave is nothing else than a disturbance of the ideal lattice structure
in the form of elastic deformations. This disturbance contains an energy that moves
along the lattice with a characteristic velocity defined by the constants of the lattice.
We have seen in Chap. 7 that a lattice can have elastic and plastic deformations.
Now come to the important step. We examine structural disturbances made up
of plastic deformations above an ideal arrangement of lattice atoms. In Chap. 8, we
showed how we could register these structural disturbances using the postulates of
Newtonian mechanics in order to derive the sine-Gordon equation. It is the solutions
of this equation, the physically real small local deviations from the ideal lattice, for
which this lattice itself possesses the properties of a vacuum. In Chaps. 22 and 23, we
will further show that these areas are attributed the properties of a physical particle
with respect to its vacuum, the atomic lattice.
Thus, the axiomatic system of Newtonian mechanics already supplies us with a
model for the phenomena of a physical ether or of a physical space, respectively.
It would of course be a grievous error to conclude that every ether is of Newtonian
origin. The only thing we have shown is that Newtonian mechanics supplies us
with an ether possessing a characteristic velocity c o of plastic disturbances moving
through the crystal. This has nothing to do with electrodynamics. However, we now
know just how one could imagine an ether model, so that this ether does not possess
any state of motion at all. The explanation is obviously simple. The instruments of
measurement with which we quantitatively determine any motion are built up out
of structures on the ether, just as the particles themselves that we want to measure
are and cannot thus per construction respond to this ether—the eye cannot see itself
(Fig. 15.2).
And the ether for the speed of light c L ?—That is our physical space. In this
physical space, we are the internal observers. What however does this mean? The
quantum phenomena are an obvious reminder that we should not imagine the motion
of matter in this, our space in an all too naive manner. Particles and space cannot
be thought of separately. This conclusion was made by the philosophers of ancient
Greece—without the help of science—maybe this was the reason?
2 Every new result
in elementary particle physics is always a new view into the structure of our space,
the structure of the vacuum as today’s physicists would state. If we use the modern
term for space or ether, we see that the ‘physical vacuum’ has been the object of
strenuous physical discussion for many years. This is rather difficult for us. We
ourselves constitute the internal observers who cannot escape from this space—just
2 For a detailed discussion of these questions, we refer to C. F. v. Weizsäcker’s [98] essays in
his book ‘The unity of Nature’.
149
characteristics of a harmonic oscillation, its angular velocity ω and its total energy
U , do not allow us to draw a conclusion about the mechanical state of the oscillating
system’. We discovered, as we considered only two of these elastic coupled masses
that the transportation of energy U occurs in the same manner as it does with waves.
Such a transportation of energy through a complete system of elastic coupled masses
disguises the physical nature, as well as the number of these masses. We have seen
how this was established in axioms of Newtonian mechanics in Chaps. 4 and 5.
An elastic wave is nothing else than a disturbance of the ideal lattice structure
in the form of elastic deformations. This disturbance contains an energy that moves
along the lattice with a characteristic velocity defined by the constants of the lattice.
We have seen in Chap. 7 that a lattice can have elastic and plastic deformations.
Now come to the important step. We examine structural disturbances made up
of plastic deformations above an ideal arrangement of lattice atoms. In Chap. 8, we
showed how we could register these structural disturbances using the postulates of
Newtonian mechanics in order to derive the sine-Gordon equation. It is the solutions
of this equation, the physically real small local deviations from the ideal lattice, for
which this lattice itself possesses the properties of a vacuum. In Chaps. 22 and 23, we
will further show that these areas are attributed the properties of a physical particle
with respect to its vacuum, the atomic lattice.
Thus, the axiomatic system of Newtonian mechanics already supplies us with a
model for the phenomena of a physical ether or of a physical space, respectively.
It would of course be a grievous error to conclude that every ether is of Newtonian
origin. The only thing we have shown is that Newtonian mechanics supplies us
with an ether possessing a characteristic velocity c o of plastic disturbances moving
through the crystal. This has nothing to do with electrodynamics. However, we now
know just how one could imagine an ether model, so that this ether does not possess
any state of motion at all. The explanation is obviously simple. The instruments of
measurement with which we quantitatively determine any motion are built up out
of structures on the ether, just as the particles themselves that we want to measure
are and cannot thus per construction respond to this ether—the eye cannot see itself
(Fig. 15.2).
And the ether for the speed of light c L ?—That is our physical space. In this
physical space, we are the internal observers. What however does this mean? The
quantum phenomena are an obvious reminder that we should not imagine the motion
of matter in this, our space in an all too naive manner. Particles and space cannot
be thought of separately. This conclusion was made by the philosophers of ancient
Greece—without the help of science—maybe this was the reason?
2 Every new result
in elementary particle physics is always a new view into the structure of our space,
the structure of the vacuum as today’s physicists would state. If we use the modern
term for space or ether, we see that the ‘physical vacuum’ has been the object of
strenuous physical discussion for many years. This is rather difficult for us. We
ourselves constitute the internal observers who cannot escape from this space—just
2 For a detailed discussion of these questions, we refer to C. F. v. Weizsäcker’s [98] essays in
his book ‘The unity of Nature’.