Laboratory Physics and Cosmology

Following four different fundamental principles, in addition to Weinberg’s universal relation, we find five reasons demanding that any gravitational mass m, and the speed of light c, vary with cosmological time (the masses increasing linearly with time and the speed of light decreasing with time, in such a way that the product mc remains constant). This is required by the universal condition of conservation of momentum in a Universe with spatial homogeneity: a consequence of the Milne-Einstein COSMOLOGICAL PRINCIPLE. We prove that this is consistent with Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity (through the application of the Action Principle). We call this effect a “MASS BOOM”. At the LAB system no such time variations can be detected, unless we make comparisons with cosmological observations (i.e. using different references far away from the LAB, e.g. measuring the red shift from distant galaxies in terms of the LAB standards). We have to stress that the physical conditions implied by a time varying mass, like the Mass Boom establishes, together with a time varying speed of light, preserving the constancy of momentum, are compatible with Einstein’s field equations. We then integrate his cosmological equations and find the solution for the cosmological scale factor as a(t) = constant · t, implying an apparent accelerated expansion for the Universe, as seen from the LAB frame. This is the interpretation given to recent observations obtained from the Supernova Type Ia. The determination of the scale factor as a(t) = constant ·t is based upon a LAB interpretation and therefore is an apparent effect. On the other hand we note that the product ct being a constant determines the real Universe as a static one, of constant size, in accordance with Einsteins first proposal. The observed red shift at the LAB system is due to a real shrinkage of the quantum world, due to the decrease in size of the quantum particles determined by a decreasing Planck’s “constant” ~ (quantum sizes are of order ~ mc , where mc remains constant).