Variable Speed of Light in Imperial College London

[Pentcho Valev]

http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_24-11-2016-10-12-58
"Scientists behind a theory that the speed of light is variable - and not constant as Einstein suggested - have made a prediction that could be tested. Einstein observed that the speed of light remains the same in any situation, and this meant that space and time could be different in different situations. The assumption that the speed of light is constant, and always has been, underpins many theories in physics, such as Einstein'€™s theory of general relativity."

My comment (damaged and illegible on the site):

In the logic of Einstein's relativity "constant" means "independent of the speed of the source or observer". The requirement "and always has been" has nothing to do with this logic, so Magueijo's "variable speed of light" is by no means a challenge to Einstein's theory.

It is almost obvious that the speed of light (relative to the observer) CANNOT be independent of the speed of the observer. When the initially stationary observer starts moving towards the light source, with speed v, he sees the same wavelength (λ'=λ) but a different frequency (f'=(c+v)/λ) and a different speed of light (c'=c+v), in violation of Einstein's relativity. Relevant quotations (website addresses omitted):

"Thus, the moving observer sees a wave possessing the same wavelength [...] but a different frequency [...] to that seen by the stationary observer."

"Moving Observer. Now suppose the source is fixed but the observer is moving towards the source, with speed v. In time t, ct/λ waves pass a fixed point. A moving point adds another vt/λ. So f'=(c+v)/λ."

"Doppler effect [...] Let u be speed of source or observer [...] Doppler Shift: Moving Observer. Shift in frequency only, wavelength does not change. Speed observed = v+u [...] Observed frequency shift f'=f(1±u/v)"

"Let's say you, the observer, now move toward the source with velocity vO. You encounter more waves per unit time than you did before. Relative to you, the waves travel at a higher speed: v'=v+vO. The frequency of the waves you detect is higher, and is given by: f'=v'/λ=(v+vO)/λ."

Pentcho Valev

[Pentcho Valev]

Joao Magueijo and Lee Smolin know that special relativity is "the root of all the evil":

http://www.amazon.com/Faster-Than-Speed-Light-Speculation/dp/0738205257
Joao Magueijo, Faster Than the Speed of Light, p. 250: "Lee [Smolin] and I discussed these paradoxes at great length for many months, starting in January 2001. We would meet in cafés in South Kensington or Holland Park to mull over the problem. THE ROOT OF ALL THE EVIL WAS CLEARLY SPECIAL RELATIVITY. All these paradoxes resulted from well known effects such as length contraction, time dilation, or E=mc^2, all basic predictions of special relativity. And all denied the possibility of establishing a well-defined border, common to all observers, capable of containing new quantum gravitational effects."

Magueijo and Smolin even know WHY special relativity is "the root of all the evil":

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/31/science/e-and-mc2-equality-it-seems-is-relative.html
"...Dr. Magueijo said. "We need to drop a postulate, perhaps the constancy of the speed of light."

Actually Joao Magueijo did drop the false constant-speed-of-light postulate and became a Newtonian - at 53:29 in this video he declares allegiance to the Newtonian space and time:

http://pirsa.org/displayFlash.php?id=16060116
FUNDAMENTAL TIME, Wednesday Jun 29, 2016, Speaker(s): Laurent Freidel, Lee Smolin, Joao Magueijo, 53:29

So Magueijo believes in the Newtonian space and time but teaches... general relativity:

http://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/j.magueijo/teaching.html
PROF JOAO MAGUEIJO GENERAL RELATIVITY - PH4-GR

Loading Image...

Pentcho Valev

[Pentcho Valev]

"Variable, Not Constant: Speed Of Light Theory Challenging Einstein's Physics Can Now Be Tested. Many theories in physics are built upon the idea that the speed of light is at a constant rate, but Joao Magueijo and Niayesh Afshordi think otherwise. In a paper published in the journal Physical Review D, they detailed the creation of an exact figure on the spectral index, a model that can be used to determine if their theory is valid or not."

My comment on YouTube:

The speed of light is OBVIOUSLY variable, not constant. Consider the Doppler effect. When the initially stationary observer starts moving towards the light source with speed v, the frequency he measures shifts from f=c/λ to f'=(c+v)/λ. This means that either the speed of the light relative to the observer shifts from c to c'=c+v, or the motion of the observer somehow changes the wavelength of the incoming light - from λ to λ'=λc/(c+v). The latter scenario is absurd - the motion of the observer is obviously unable to change the wavelength of the incoming light.

Conclusion: The speed of light is different for differently moving observers (varies with the speed of the observer). This is so obvious that Einsteinians often take it for granted and so inadvertently refute Einstein's relativity:

http://www.einstein-online.info/spotlights/doppler
Albert Einstein Institute: "The frequency of a wave-like signal - such as sound or light - depends on the movement of the sender and of the receiver. This is known as the Doppler effect. [...] Here is an animation of the receiver moving towards the source:

Loading Image... (stationary receiver)

Loading Image... (moving receiver)

By observing the two indicator lights, you can see for yourself that, once more, there is a blue-shift - the pulse frequency measured at the receiver is somewhat higher than the frequency with which the pulses are sent out. This time, the distances between subsequent pulses are not affected, but still there is a frequency shift: As the receiver moves towards each pulse, the time until pulse and receiver meet up is shortened. In this particular animation, which has the receiver moving towards the source at one third the speed of the pulses themselves, four pulses are received in the time it takes the source to emit three pulses." [end of quotation]

Since "four pulses are received in the time it takes the source to emit three pulses", the speed of the pulses relative to the receiver (observer) is greater than their speed relative to the source, in violation of Einstein's relativity.

Pentcho Valev