Translation:The Entrainment of Light by Moving Bodies in Accordance with the Principle of Relativity

by.

Since 's electrodynamics, which is based on the principle of relativity, is equivalent with the older theory of as long one restricts himself to the first power of the relations of all body velocities to the speed of light, it is obvious that it allows to calculate 's dragging coefficient as a first approximation. But no reference is made in the literature as to how much easier this problem is resolved by the relativity principle than by the other theory, even with the simplification recently given by.

Namely, this is only an example of 's addition theorem of velocities. There are two coordinate systems with parallel axes, the "primed" and the "unprimed", moving against each other along the direction of X with velocity v. A velocity w with respect to the primed system, whose direction forms the angle θ with the X'-axis, corresponds to a velocity in the unprimed system

Now, if a body of refractive index n is at rest in the primed system, then the phase velocity of light in the primed system is:

The corresponding velocity in the unprimed system is therefore

If the directions of the velocities v and c/n coincide, as in the experiment of, then it is $$\cos\vartheta'=\pm1$$, and

If, however, for example $$\vartheta'=\pm\pi/2$$, it is

In dispersive substances we have to fill in the value for n corresponding to the frequency in the primed system.

For the group velocity it is exactly the same, if we replace the refractive index n by the expression n + v(dn/dv) (v is frequency).

So, according to the relativity principle, light is completely carried by the body, however, just because of this its velocity relative to an observer (who does not participate in the motion of the body) is not the same as the vector sum of its velocity relative to the body and that of the body relative to an observer. In this way we are relieved of the need to introduce into optics an "aether", which penetrates the bodies without sharing their motion.


 * , July 1907.

(Received July 30, 1907.)