We describe a simple realization of Fizeau’s “aether-drag” experiment. Using an inexpensive setup, we measure the phase shift induced by moving water in a laser interferometer and find good agreement with the relativistic composition of velocities law or, in the terms of 19th century physics, with Fresnel’s partial-drag theory.

This appealing experiment, particularly suited for an undergraduate laboratory project, not only allows a quantitative measurement of a relativistic effect on a macroscopic system but also constitutes a practical application of important concepts of optics, data acquisition and processing, and fluid mechanics.

Date Published: 8 October 2015
PDF: 4 pages
Proc. SPIE 9793, Education and Training in Optics and Photonics: ETOP 2015, 97931G (8 October 2015); doi: 10.1117/12.2223112

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9793:
Education and Training in Optics and Photonics: ETOP 2015