Immobile state of an invisible medium - ether

Abstract

The effects of interference and diffraction of light precisely established the wave nature of light. As all the known waves are transmitted by some or the other medium, it is quite natural to assume that light waves are also transmitted by a medium which obviously fills the space around us and the interplanetary and interstellar space. If the properties of a medium decide the velocity of light after passing through it, then it is evident that questions arise about how the vacuum and medium can have almost identical values of velocity of light. Scientists have often made several unsuccessful attempts in identifying such an invisible medium which wrapped up the entire universe and predicting this medium completely gives rise to the existence of an immovable state. Consequently, 19th century concocted the medium and named it Luminiferous or Ether. Michelson and Morley tried and failed to detect the existence of this medium with their device Interferometer.