Nonlinear Continuum Mechanics, Electrodynamics and Ether Theories
All attempts of describing fundamental physics with
continuum mechanics in the 19th century have been
falsified by the famous experiments by Michelson and Morley
that seem to have disproved the concept of an aether.
The aether theorists however
never thought of particles as being topological defects
creating a displacement field - which is not astonishing,
since the first examples of such defects, dislocations
in solids, were discovered in 1934
by Taylor, almost 30 years after aether theories
had disappeared from the stage of theoretical physics.
In view of the results of Frank (1949) and others, however, one
must say that the wrong concept was not describing spacetime
as an elastic continuum but a wrong or missing picture of
particles moving in it
The hypothesis that elementary particles
could be topological defects in an elastic continuum is
backed by interesting results of modern nonlinear
continuum mechanics (Truesdell 1960, Beatty 1987, Hayes 2000).
This is discussed in the papers
What can Physics Learn from Continuum Mechanics ? (gr-qc/001164)
and
Topological Defects in an Elastic Continuum - A Valid Model for Particle Physics ?
(TRECOP 01 - Structured Media, pp. 293-311, ed.B. Maruszewski)
See also the talks
Einsteins Teleparallelism Attempt and its Relation to
Topological Defects in an Elastic continuum (abstract),
given at the SIGRAV 02 in Rome 09/02 (abstract)
and
Einstein's Teleparallel Theory and its Relation to
Nonlinear Continuum Mechanics with Topological Defects (abstract),
given at the MG10 meeting (07/03) in Rio de Janeiro.
See a review paper
A numerical treatment of a topological defect is done in the paper
'Displacement Field and Elastic Energy
of a Circular Twist Disclination
for Large Deformations - an Example how to Treat
Nonlinear Boundary Value Problems
with Computer Algebra Systems'
cond-mat/0301531.
Last update
Alexander Unzicker, 2004-02-15