Autodynamics was a
physics theory
Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental physics, which uses experimen ...
proposed by Ricardo Carezani (1921–2016) in the early 1940s as a replacement for
Einstein
Albert Einstein ( ; ; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theory ...
's theories of
special relativity
In physics, the special theory of relativity, or special relativity for short, is a scientific theory regarding the relationship between space and time. In Albert Einstein's original treatment, the theory is based on two postulates:
# The laws o ...
and
general relativity
General relativity, also known as the general theory of relativity and Einstein's theory of gravity, is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1915 and is the current description of gravitation in modern physics ...
. Autodynamics never gained status as a viable alternative model within the physics community, and today is wholly rejected by mainstream science.
Main tenets of autodynamics
The primary claim of autodynamics is that the equations of the
Lorentz transformation are incorrectly formulated to describe relativistic effects, which would invalidate
special relativity
In physics, the special theory of relativity, or special relativity for short, is a scientific theory regarding the relationship between space and time. In Albert Einstein's original treatment, the theory is based on two postulates:
# The laws o ...
,
general relativity
General relativity, also known as the general theory of relativity and Einstein's theory of gravity, is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1915 and is the current description of gravitation in modern physics ...
, and
Maxwell's equations
Maxwell's equations, or Maxwell–Heaviside equations, are a set of coupled partial differential equations that, together with the Lorentz force law, form the foundation of classical electromagnetism, classical optics, and electric circuits.
...
. The effect of the revised equations proposed in autodynamics is to cause particle mass to ''decrease'' with particle velocity, being exchanged with kinetic energy (with mass being zero and kinetic energy being equal to the rest mass at ''
c''). This exchange between mass and energy is the proposed mechanism underlying most of the derived conclusions of autodynamics.
Ancillary predictions of autodynamics include:
*the nonexistence of the
neutrino,
*the existence of additional particles that have not been observed by mainstream physicists (including the "picograviton" and the "electromuon"),
*the existence of additional decay modes for muons and interaction modes for energetic atomic nuclei.
Status of autodynamics
Autodynamics is wholly rejected by the mainstream
scientific community
The scientific community is a diverse network of interacting scientists. It includes many " sub-communities" working on particular scientific fields, and within particular institutions; interdisciplinary and cross-institutional activities are als ...
. Since Carezani's original publication, no papers on autodynamics have appeared in the scientific literature, except for additional papers by Carezani published in alternative journals such as ''
Physics Essays
''Physics Essays'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering theoretical and experimental physics. It was established in 1988 and the editor-in-chief is E. Panarella.
Abstracting and indexing
The journal is or has been indexed and abstracte ...
''. A 1999 article in the magazine ''
Wired'' quotes
H. Pierre Noyes
H. Pierre Noyes (December 10, 1923 – September 30, 2016) was an American theoretical physicist. He became a member of the faculty at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory at Stanford University in 1962. Noyes specialized in several areas o ...
, a professor at the
Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, originally named the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center,
is a United States Department of Energy National Laboratory operated by Stanford University under the programmatic direction of the U.S. Departme ...
, as stating, "autodynamics was disproved. Special relativity is correct".
Noyes was a researcher in an experiment attempting to compare the predictions of SR and AD, and concluded that the values calculated by SR were significantly closer to what was observed. Carezani later argued that the experiment was not relevant for comparing the two theories by pointing out that AD applies specifically to decay cases, yet the electrons in the Noyes experiment received energy from the external medium (
klystron EM field).
[''See endnote 2 of'': ] According to
Lee Smolin
Lee Smolin (; born June 6, 1955) is an American theoretical physicist, a faculty member at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, an adjunct professor of physics at the University of Waterloo and a member of the graduate faculty of the ...
, there has been "no serious attempt
y the autodynamics supportersto make an argument or to discuss experimental data that refute their basic claims".
See also
*
List of topics characterized as pseudoscience
References
{{reflist , 30em
External links
The Society for the Advancement of Autodynamics (SAA)
Pseudoscience
Special relativity