A local-ether model of propagation of electromagnetic wave

It is pointed out that the classical propagation model can be in accord with the Sagnac effect due to earth’s rotational and orbital motions in the high-precision GPS (global positioning system) and interplanetary radar, if the reference frame of the classical propagation medium is endowed with a switchability according to the location of the wave. Accordingly, it is postulated that, as in the obsolete theory, electromagnetic waves propagate via a medium like the ether. However, the ether is not universal. It is proposed that in the region under sufficient influence of the gravity due to the earth, the sun, or another celestial body, there forms a local ether, which in turn is stationary with respect to the gravitational potential of the respective body. For earthbound and interplanetary propagation, the medium is stationary in a geocentric and a heliocentric inertial frame, respectively. An electromagnetic wave propagates at a constant speed with respect to the associated local ether, independent of the motions of source and receiver. Based on this local-ether model of wave propagation, a wide variety of earthbound, interplanetary, and interstellar propagation phenomena are accounted for. Strong evidence of this new classical model is its consistent account of the Sagnac effect due to earth’s motions among GPS, the intercontinental microwave link, and the interplanetary radar. Moreover, as examined within the present precision, this model is still in accord with the Michelson–Morley experiment. To test the local-ether propagation model, a one-way-link rotor experiment is proposed.