Frequently
Asked
Questions
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why Light of the
Sun is
NOT Deflected
by the Gravitational
Field
-
Deflection of Light by
Gravity
is not Compatible with
the Principle of
Mass-Energy Conservation.
Series FAQ #11 - No
Light Deflection by the Sun's Gravitational Field.
----------------------
Question - (11-A)
How can we show that
Light
is NOT Deflected by the Gravitational Potential of the Sun?
There
are
several
reasons.
A.
-
Light
cannot
be
deflected by the Gravitational Field of the Sun,
because this is not compatible with the Principle of
Mass-Enery
Conservation. This would mean that energy disappears
by magic and
goes
nowhere.
B.
-
Furthermore
it
is
calculated that in relativity, light travels at
a slower speed than c in the Sun's gravitational
Field. This is
contrary to Einstein's hypothesis of a constant velocity of
light
"c"
in all frames of reference.
C.
-
A Serious Analysis
show that experimentally, light deflection by gravity has
never been
really observed. Light is observed to be deflected by
transparent
bodies like glass, liquids, and gases (as in air and
"unavoidably" in
gazeous nebula) due to their index of refraction, but it has
never
clearly demonstratd that it is deflected by
gravity.
-
Explanation.
It
is
well
known
that, using
General Relativity, Einstein’s predicts that the velocity of
light is
slower in the gravitational potential near the Sun. This
is not
compatible with the previous fundamental principle of a constant
velocity of light in vacuum. It is clearly contradictory
to
assume
that there is an index of refraction larger than unity, near the
Sun,
in the vacuum of space. This change of velocity is an internal
contradiction in General Relativity.
There are other serious problems about the hypothesis of light
deflection in a gravitational potential predicted by
Einstein.
For
example, such a deflection of light is not compatible with the
principle of mass-energy conservation. In other words,
some
energy
appears from nothing or disappears into nothing and goes
nowhere.
This
would be magic. We do not believe in magic.
Let
me
present
a
simple
proof that the interaction of light in a
gravitational field (or its slowing down) is not compatible with
the
principle of mass-energy conservation. Let us consider the
Pound
and
Rebka experiment (1).
In
that
experiment,
a
nucleus of Fe57
is emitting 14.4 keV Gamma rays, which travel from the bottom to
the
top of a tower. It is observed that the Gamma-ray detector
at the
top
of the tower measures a lower frequency. Einstein’s
general
relativity
explains that this is due to space-time distortion in the Fe57
detector frame, related to its increase of gravitational
potential,
when moving from the bottom to the top of the tower.
However,
Einstein’s general relativity does not predict any absolute
change of
energy of the photon. Instead, the apparent change of
frequency
is due
to space-time distortion. This is generally accepted in
general
relativity.
We
have
to consider that the energy of photons (Gamma Rays) does not
change at
all when they are traveling in gravitational fields.
However,
this
lack of change is not due to space distortion. In order to
measure the
energy of photons, we need to use clocks, that are formed of
electrons
and protons. We have seen previously that when atoms
(therefore
clocks) are raised to a higher gravitational energy, the
electron orbit
(Bohr radius) is changing so that the clock rate is also
changing.
This is fundamental in quantum mechanics. Therefore the
clock,
which
measures the energy of the photons arriving at higher
gravitational
potential runs at a different rate than the one located at the
lower
gravitational potential. This the reason for which the
"photon"
at a
higher gravitational potential "seems" to have more energy than
at a
lower gravitational potential. However, we can see that
the
energy of
the photon does not change. This has been demonstrated in
the
Book: "Einstein Theory of
Relativity
versus Classical Mechanics", and other papers.
Therefore the
"apparent" change of frequency measured in Pound and Rebka
experiment (1) is
entirely
due to the change of clock rate of the clock at the higher
gravitational potential and not due to an assumed
"non-realistic" space
distortion (that never exists).
In
the book "Einstein Theory of
Relativity versus Classical Mechanics",
and other related papers, the basic idea for which we have shown
that
Newton's laws of physics are always valid in any frame, is based
on the
fact that when mattter or energy passes from one frame to
another frame
having a different potential or kinetic energy, this requires
necessarily that the observer, with all his measuring tools,
made out
of matter, must also make the measurement in the new
frame.
The fact
that the measuring units existing in each frame must change,
when
carried to new frames has been overlooked in relativity.
However,
as
seen in the book "Einstein
Theory of
Relativity versus Classical Mechanics", this is absolutely
necessary on order to be compatible with the principle of
mass-energy
conservation.
Surprizingly,
this
problem
is
easily
solved using fundamental quantum
mechanics. Unfortunately, the fundamental principles of
quantum
mechanics did not exist when Einstein developed relativity
theory.
Using quantum mechanics, we can see that the atomic energy
levels and
the radius of the Bohr atom are modified so that the observer in
a new
frame observes a different values that are characteristic of the
new
size of fundamental units in the new frame. It becomes
obvious
that
all matter in the new frame is slightly modified including
matter
forming the body of the observer. This is the way nature
exists. This
is a simple application of the principle of mass-energy
conservation.
Consequently, in the Pound and Rebka's experiment, there exists
no
absolute change of photon energy. Due to their different
location
at a
different potential, the Gamma detectors possess different
sensibility.
There are more ways to show that light cannot be deflected by a
gravitational field. A correct calculation implies that
the
proper
units inside a frame moving at the velocity of light (photon
frame)
requires that all clocks are stopped in that frame (moving at
the
velocity of light). Therefore no transverse
displacement is
allowed
in zero local (photon) time. This has been demonstrated in
another
paper. Furthermore, it
has
been shown (*) that this deflection of light has never
been
seriously measured experimentally.
Reference
(1) Pound R. V. and G.
A.
Rebka, Apparent Weight of Photons, Phys. Rev. Lett., 4, 337
1964.
See also: Pound R. V. and Snider,
J.L.
Effect of gravity on Nuclear Resonance, Phys. Rev. B, 140,
788-803,
1965.
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