A Direct Terrestrial Test of the Second Postulate of Special Relativity

Journal Article · Sat Mar 23 04:00:00 EST 1963 · Nature (London)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/1971191a0· OSTI ID:4705167

ALVÄGER, T.; NILSSON, A.; KJELLMAN, J.

A preliminary report is presented of a test of the second postulate of special relativity by measuring the velocity difference between gamma rays from a recoiling nucleus and a nucleus at rest. The moving source was C( alpha alpha ,)C/sup 12*/ and the rest source was O/sup 16/( alpha , alpha ')O/sup 16*/. The 14-Mev alpha beam and time-of-flight equipment of the Nobel Institute 80-cm cyclotron were used. A systematical deviaion in times-of-flight from DELTA t = 0, independent of the source-to-detector distance, was present. This systematical error causes the uncertainty of the measurements to be larger than predicted. The result is in agreement with the second poatulate, but does not agree with the work of Kantor (J. Optical Soc. Amer., 52: p.978(1962)). (T.R.H.)

• Research Organization: Univ. of Stockholm
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• NSA Number: NSA-17-019514
• OSTI ID: 4705167
• Journal Information: Nature (London), Journal Name: Nature (London) Journal Issue: 4873 Vol. 197; ISSN 0028-0836
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ALPHA BEAMS
ALPHA PARTICLES
CARBON 12
CYCLOTRONS
ENERGY RANGE
ERRORS
EXCITATION
GAMMA RADIATION
MEASURED VALUES
MOTION
NUCLEI
OXYGEN 16
PHYSICS
RECOILS
RELATIVITY THEORY
VELOCITY