Abstract

The paper titled "On the Relative Motion of the Earth and the Luminiferous Ether" was published in 1887 by Albert A. Michelson, Professor of Physics, and Edward W. Morley, Professor of Chemistry (Fig. 1), at what is now called Case Western Reserve University. It demonstrated that the speed of light is unaffected by the motion of the earth. This finding was contrary to then-current thinking and was an important part of the experimental framework that paved the way for Einstein's theory of relativity, and the birth of modern physics.

Michelson’s Role in the Development of Relativity

R. S. Shankland
Appl. Opt. 12(10) 2280-2287 (1973)

Albert A. Michelson, Dean of American Optics—Life, Contributions to Science, and Influence on Modern-Day Physics

Jean M. Bennett, D. Theodore McAllister, and Georgia M. Cabe
Appl. Opt. 12(10) 2253-2279 (1973)

Adaptation to relative and uniform motion

Satoshi Shioiri, Hiroshi Ono, and Takao Sato
J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 19(8) 1465-1474 (2002)

Detection of relative and uniform motion

Satoshi Shioiri, Sadanori Ito, Kentaro Sakurai, and Hirohisa Yaguchi
J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 19(11) 2169-2179 (2002)

Beat wave interferometry for measuring relative motion

C. I. Christov
J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 26(11) 2292-2294 (2009)