Experimental
Tests of Special Relativity
Over the past century
Special Relativity has become a cornerstone of modern physics, and its Lorentz
invariance is a foundation of every current fundamental theory of physics. So
it is crucial that it be thoroughly tested experimentally. The many tests of SR
will be discussed, including several modern high-precision measurements.
Several experiments that appear to be in conflict with SR will also be discussed,
such as claims that the famous measurements of Michelson and Morley actually
have a non-null result, and the similar but far more extensive measurements of
Dayton Miller that "determined the absolute motion of the earth". But
the errorbars for these old experiments are huge, and are larger than their
purported signals. In short, SR has been tested extremely well and stands
un-refuted today, but current thoughts about quantum gravity suggest that it
might not truly be a symmetry of nature.