À Propos SAGNAC

À Propos SAGNAC
Peter Marquardt

2013, 20th Natural Philosophy Alliance Conference, College Park, MD, United States

Abstract:
In 2013, we commemorate the centenary of several marked events in physics among which one is particularly dear to the NPA family: The publication of Sagnac‘s famous rotating interferometer experiment in the scientific French Journal Comptes Rendus. Apart
from that widely known experiment conspicuously little is officially communicated about Sagnac‘s life. Is it because he was a decided opponent (un opposant ardent) to special relativity? Here we have a chance and a duty to bring back the memory of Georges Marc Marie Sagnac (1869 – 1926) who is also credited for pioneering work with X-rays and the discovery of X-ray fluorescence. The Sagnac Award combines the merits of our fellow scientists with those of the still deplorably neglected namesake of the Award. Not only has Sagnac‘s research brought forth a wealth of technical applications – important lessons due to his work await to be learned. One of them is so elementary it is easily overlooked: We have to say farewell to the dogmatism which arouse from the overestimation of the observers‘ role. Uniqueness is the solid ground on which we may cautiously proceed. The technical and theoretical background of the Sagnac effect have been discussed extensively in original publications and review articles. Here we focus on aspects of Sagnac’s work that provoke further thought, including the importance of psychology in natural sciences, physics in particular.