Asri-unix.939
net.space
utcsrgv!utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!C70:sri-unix!KING@KESTREL
Wed Mar 10 08:32:29 1982
anisotropic monobloc radiation
Consider the following thought experiment: Construct a
transparent [crystal?] sphere a parsec or so in diameter, and a few
meters outside that another sphere, painted black on the inside, whose
temperature is 3 deg. K. At or near the center of the sphere place a
measuring apparatus which is moving with some speed relative to the
transparent and black spheres. Observe the deviation in the radiation
field caused by the Doppler shift.
Now remove the black sphere and set the transparent sphere
into motion so it feels isotropic radiation from the Big Bang. Since
the radiation field on the surface of the transparent sphere is the
same in this experiment as it was before, the motion of the measuring
apparatus has the same effect on the anisotropy of the radiation as it
would have had the black sphere been there.
It is thus an easy matter to measure our absolute motion. We
are actually measuring our motion relative to the part of the monobloc
that occupied our position in the universe in the olden days.
I believe, by the way, that if I took two spaceships tied
together by a very long (1 megaparsec might be enough) piece of
string, that the string would be under constant tension. The galazies
aren't receding - there keeps on coming to be more space in between us
and the nearest galaxy. This means that another galaxy with respect
to which we have no red/blue shift would have a different anisotropy
in its monobloc radiation measurement. I haven't quite worked out the
paradox yet, but I think that if my 1 parsec black sphere were,
instead, a megaparsec or so in diameter it would matter which wall we
were closer to.
Comments?
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