Measurement of Earth's absolute velocity in space – Experimental proposal based on L-ARF

This paper presents an experimental proposal to measure Earth's absolute velocity in space based on L-ARF (Light -- Absolute Reference Framework). Classical measurements (Michelson-Morley 1887, Kennedy-Thorndike 1932, Herrmann et al. 2009) measured only the total round-trip time T = Σt and found c_meas = 2d/T = const. They never measured the forward time t_+ and return time t_- separately and could therefore not detect the asymmetry t_+ ≠ t_-. In L-ARF, light's velocity vector in vacuum is independent of source and observer motion. Time is defined from light's physical path s: t = s/c. For an arm with mirror separation d moving with absolute velocity v: t_+ = d/(c-v), t_- = d/(c+v)Σt = t_+ + t_- = 2dc/(c²-v²)Δt = t_+ - t_- = 2dv/(c²-v²)v = c·Δt/Σt The experiment requires:- distance d between two points P_left and P_right, e.g. d = 10 m stable to 0.1 mm- picosecond-level resolution for separate measurement of t_+ and t_-- for d = 10 m and v = 30 km/s: Δt ≈ 6.7 ps and Σt ≈ 66.7 ns Measurement procedure:- Orientation: n is the unit vector along the apparatus axis, determined by noted orientation (azimuth, elevation, position). Measured v = v_a · n is the projection of Earth's absolute velocity vector v_a onto n. Rotating the apparatus (varying n) and searching for maximal Δt (maximal v) gives direction of v_a. For example, n oriented east-west and north-south gives two orthogonal components.- Timing: measurements at different times of day (Earth rotation) and seasons (Earth orbit). Measurement in March and September gives difference v_r = 60 km/s.- Time interval: 1000 pulses per orientation, averaging to ps accuracy.- Data recording: each measurement recorded with date (UTC), time (UTC), position (lat/lon/height), orientation n (azimuth/elevation), t_+, t_-, Δt, Σt, v with sufficient decimals (≥12 decimals in s or 3 decimals in ns). Expected result:- If L-ARF holds: v and Δt maximal when n ∥ v_a and zero when n ⊥ v_a, v independent of d.- If SR holds: Δt ≡ 0 always. Earth's absolute velocity in vacuum is discussed with illustrative values: orbital velocity ~30 km/s, solar system around Milky Way ~220 km/s, CMB dipole ~370 km/s, Local Group ~600 km/s. Table shows expected t_+, t_-, Σt, Δt for d = 10 m. Michelson-Morley with two epochs 6 months apart is explained: Let v_s be solar system's absolute velocity and v_orb ≈30 km/s. Then v1 = v_s + v_orb, v2 = v_s - v_orb. From v = c·Δt/Σt: Δt1/Σt1 - Δt2/Σt2 = 2v_orb/c. Classical method using only T = Σt is second-order sensitive (Σt1-Σt2 ∝ 4v_s·v_orb) giving fs difference rounded away, while separate measurement of t_+ and t_- is first-order: Δ(Δt/Σt)=2×10⁻⁴, i.e. Δ(Δt)≈13.3 ps for d=10 m, within reach. Thus MME null result c_meas ≡ 2d/T = const is explained, while L-ARF predicts measurable difference in Δt/Σt. Implementation is proposed to be carried out by university/physics institution with optical bench, vacuum tube and picosecond timing. Author contributes theoretical background (L-ARF) and analysis v = cΔt/Σt.