Ether Through ODTOE: Is It Needed?

ETHER THROUGH ODTOE: IS IT NEEDED?

1.1 The field of potential states as what ether wanted to be Pankratov Anton Sergeevich Independent researcher, Kazan, Russia E-mail: [email protected] · ORCID: 0009-0002-4870-2995 UDC 530.145 + 530.12 + 167.7

ABSTRACT

The concept of ether is investigated through the lens of ODTOE. It is shown that ether in the classical sense (a material medium filling space) is not needed—but the need it expressed was deeply justified. Nineteenth-century physics intuitively sensed: light and interactions require something in which they propagate. The Michelson-Morley experiment “killed” ether as a material substrate. But the question “in what does observation propagate?” remained open. ODTOE provides the answer: observation propagates not in something, but from something— from the field of potential states H. The field H is what ether wanted to be but could not: not a material medium, but a space of all possibilities from which the observer constitutes reality. A precise correspondence table is established: classical ether → quantum vacuum → field H in ODTOE. It is shown that three historical “murders” of ether (Michelson-Morley, GR, quantum field theory) did not eliminate the need for it, but transformed understanding: from material substrate to potentiality. Keywords: ether, field of potential states, vacuum, ODTOE, observer, space, substrate, potentiality.

1.2 I. A BRIEF HISTORY OF ETHER 1.2.1

1.1. What is ether and why was it needed

Ether (from Greek αἰθήρ—upper layer of air, radiance)—a hypothetical medium filling all space in which light and electromagnetic waves propagate. The need for ether arose from a simple question: a wave is an oscillation of what? Sound is oscillation of air. A wave on water is oscillation of water. Light is oscillation of… what? If we remove all matter, in a vacuum light still propagates. That means the vacuum is not empty; it is filled with something. This “something” was called ether. Properties that physics required from ether:

Property Why needed Fills all space Absolutely stationary Weightless and invisible Absolutely elastic Offers no resistance to motion

Light propagates everywhere Reference frame for speed of light Not directly detectable Transverse waves (light) require rigidity Planets are not slowed down

1.2. Three “murders” of ether

Murder 1: Michelson-Morley (1887). The experiment showed: the speed of light is the same in all directions, independent of Earth’s motion. If ether exists and is stationary—Earth moves through it, and the speed of light should depend on direction. It does not. Conclusion: ether as a stationary material medium does not exist. Murder 2: Special Theory of Relativity (Einstein, 1905). STR postulated: the speed of light is constant in all inertial reference frames. There is no privileged reference frame (= stationary ether). Spacetime is not a background but a dynamic structure. Murder 3: Quantum Field Theory (1930s–1970s). The electromagnetic field is not an “oscillation of a medium” but an independent quantized entity. A photon is a quantum of the field, not a “wave in ether.” The medium is unnecessary—the field itself is fundamental reality. 1.2.3

1.3. But ether did not die completely

Despite three “murders,” the need for something that fills the void did not disappear. It transformed: Quantum vacuum. “Empty” space is not empty. It is filled with virtual particles, field fluctuations, zero-point energy. The Casimir effect (1948)—a measurable manifestation of the vacuum’s “non-emptiness”: two plates in a vacuum attract each other due to pressure difference of virtual photons inside and outside. Higgs field. Fills all space, gives particles mass. Essentially a “medium” pervading the Universe. Sounds suspiciously familiar. Dark energy. 68% of the Universe’s energy—“something” filling space and accelerating expansion. Nature—unknown. Einstein himself wavered. In 1920 (15 years after ether’s “murder”), he said in the Leiden lecture: “According to the general theory of relativity, space without ether is unthinkable; for in such a space there would be not only no propagation of light, but also no possibility of the existence of measuring-rods and clocks, and hence no space-time distances in the physical sense.”

1.3 II. ETHER THROUGH ODTOE 1.3.1

2.1. The question ether posed

Ether is the answer to the question: “What is the substrate of reality?” In what do things exist? What fills the “void”? What is space “made of”? Classical physics answered: from a material medium (ether). STR answered: there is no substrate; there is spacetime. QFT answered: from quantized fields. The Standard Model answered: from fields + Higgs condensate. ODTOE answers differently. 1.3.2

2.2. The field of potential states H—what ether wanted to be

By axiom (A) [1]: R = Ô(Ψ), where Ψ ∈ H is the field of potential states. This is an “infinitedimensional space containing all possible configurations” [1]. H possesses all properties required of ether—but none of the properties that were refuted: Property of ether

Refuted?

Fills all space

Stationary (privileged frame of reference)

Yes

Weightless and invisible

Light propagates in it

Offers no resistance

Material substrate

Yes

H in ODTOE H is not in space; it generates space H has no reference frame—it is pre-spatial structure H has no mass—potentiality does not weigh Photon = δ Ô propagates “in” H (from potentiality to actuality) H does not resist—but I(C) (configuration inertness) does resist H is not a material substrate but a space of possibilities

Key difference: ether is a material medium (a thing). H is potentiality (possibility). Ether is what things are made of. H is what things are constituted from. 1.3.3

2.3. Why Michelson-Morley does not refute H

Michelson-Morley refuted: ether is stationary relative to absolute space → Earth moves through it → speed of light depends on direction. H is not stationary—it has no spatial position at all. H is not in space. Space is one of the

configurations within H. One cannot “move through” H because movement is a configuration, and H is the field from which configurations are constituted. Analogy: one cannot “move through” the set of all numbers. Numbers are not a medium but a space of possibilities. One can move along the number line (within a configuration) but not through the set (it has no spatial structure). 1.3.4

2.4. Why STR does not refute H

STR refuted: there exists a privileged reference frame (stationary ether). H does not define a reference frame. On the contrary: each observer Oi constitutes their own configuration Ri = Ôi (Ψ) from the same H, but with different Ôi . There is no privileged observer—no privileged reference frame. This agrees with STR rather than contradicts it. Moreover: the invariance of the speed of light (c = const) receives an ODTOE explanation: c = vmax —the maximum speed of reconfiguration [1, P2.1]. It does not depend on the observer because it is a property of the transition H → C, not of a medium. 1.3.5

2.5. Why QFT does not refute H

QFT refuted: light is a “wave in a medium”; a medium is needed as substrate. H is not a substrate. Quantized fields are configurations within H, not “waves in H.” A photon is not oscillation of H but δ Ô—a minimal change in the observation operator. It “propagates” not in a medium but from potentiality into actuality.

1.4 III. H VS. ETHER VS. VACUUM: PRECISE TABLE Parameter

Ether (19th c.)

Quantum vacuum

H (ODTOE)

Ontological status

Material medium

Located in space?

Yes (fills it)

Has reference frame? Has energy?

Yes (stationary)

Space of potential states No (space is one of its configurations) No (pre-spatial)

Observable?

No (invisible)

Ground state of quantum fields Yes (= space + fields) (Lorentz-invariant) Yes (zero-point energy) Indirectly (Casimir effect)

Depends on observer?

No (objective)

No (weightless)

No (objective)

No (potentiality ≠ energy) No (H unobservable; observable is R = Ô(Ψ)) Yes (constituted R depends on Ô)

Parameter

Ether (19th c.)

Quantum vacuum

H (ODTOE)

What “propagates” in it?

Light (wave)

Excitations (quanta)

Refuted?

Yes (Michelson-Morley, STR)

Nothing “propagates”—from it constituents are formed No (not refutable: it is a meta-structure)

3.1. Key shift

Ether: “something is in space, in which light propagates.” Quantum vacuum: “space itself is full of energy and fluctuations.” H (ODTOE): “space is one of infinitely many configurations constituted from potentiality”. Shift: from “medium in space” through “space as medium” to “space from potentiality”.

1.5 IV. IS ETHER NEEDED? 1.5.1

4.1. Answer: no—in the old sense. Yes—in the new sense

Not needed—if “ether” = material medium filling pre-given space. This has been refuted three times. Bringing back this ether is impossible and unnecessary. Needed—if “ether” = answer to “what constitutes reality?” This question is not settled by STR, QFT, or the Standard Model. Quantum field—from what? Vacuum—why is it not empty? Spacetime—where does it come from? ODTOE gives the answer: from H. The field of potential states—infinite-dimensional, prespatial, pre-temporal, pre-material. Reality (R) is constituted from it through the act of observation (Ô). 1.5.2

4.2. Why physics “killed” ether but did not solve the problem

Physics killed a specific model of ether (material medium). But the need ether expressed—“there must be something from which reality is constituted”—remained. It manifests as: Problem

Essence

“Etheric” need

Dark energy (68% of Universe) Dark matter (27% of Universe) Measurement problem

Unknown energy accelerating expansion Invisible mass holding galaxies together What causes wavefunction “collapse”?

Something fills “empty” space Something invisible structures reality Who/what constitutes a specific configuration?

Problem

Essence

“Etheric” need

Quantum gravity

How to reconcile GR and QM? Vacuum energy by factor 10120 greater than observed

What is the substrate of spacetime? Why is potentiality so great but reality so small?

Cosmological constant

Each of these problems is a disguised question about ether: what is reality “made of”? 1.5.3

4.3. ODTOE answer to each problem

Problem

ODTOE answer

Dark energy

H is infinite-dimensional. Reality R is one configuration from an infinite field. “Dark energy” = pressure of unrealized potential states on the actualized configuration Configurations with S > Sthreshold but d(O) < d(C): invisible (by D-Prot) observer clusters affecting dynamics R = Ô(Ψ): “collapse” = act of observation constituting R from H Spacetime is a configuration, not substrate. No need to “quantize” space—derive it from H |H| is infinite, |R| is finite. Difference ∼ 10120 is not a “problem” but a property: potentiality is always greater than actuality

Dark matter

Measurement problem Quantum gravity

Cosmological constant

1.6 V. SPACE AS CONFIGURATION 1.6.1

5.1. Main thesis

Ether assumed: space is a background, ether is its content. STR: spacetime is a dynamic background. QFT: quantized fields are on the background of spacetime. ODTOE: space is one of the configurations C constituted from H. Not background, not container, not medium—but result of collective observation. ∏ By P5.1: Pcoll (E) = 1 − (1 − Bik ). As n → ∞ observers with non-zero Bi , collective probability of “space” configuration → 1. Space is so stable that it seems a “background”—but this is an effect of T (C) → enormous by P3.1 with high Scluster . Analogy: air seems a “void”—but it is a configuration of 1025 molecules per liter. “Empty” space is a configuration of 1050+ co-observers.

5.2. What is “empty” space in ODTOE

“Empty” space = configuration Cvac co-constituted by minimal number of observers with minimal S. This is the poorest configuration but not zero. In it: • S → Smin : minimal coherence (maximum “versions of reality” by P1.2) • I(C) → 0: minimal inertness (maximal lability—hence virtual particles) • T (C) → T0 : minimal configuration lifetime (hence fluctuations) Quantum vacuum “boils” not because it is “full of energy” but because I(C) ≈ 0 and S ≈ Smin : configuration is unstable, continuously reconfigures. Virtual particles = fleeting configurations with T ≈ T0 .

1.7 VI. TESLA’S ETHER 1.7.1

6.1. Tesla and ether

Tesla did not abandon ether—he considered it real and fundamental. Unlike most 20thcentury physicists, Tesla insisted: there is no “empty” space; everything is filled with “primary substance.” His resonant experiments, in his view, demonstrated interaction with this substance. 1.7.2

6.2. Tesla was right—but not as he thought

Tesla is right: space is not empty. Quantum vacuum confirmed this experimentally (Casimir effect, 1948). ODTOE goes further: space itself is a configuration constituted from H. Tesla is wrong: ether ≠ material medium. There is no “primary substance” in the sense of matter. There is potentiality (H) from which everything is constituted, including space. Tesla’s resonance through ODTOE: S → 1—observer coherence. Resonance is not “oscillation of ether” but synchronization of observers, at which Pcoll → 1 and configuration is amplified.

1.8 VII. CONCLUSION 1.8.1

7.1. Is ether needed?

No—as a material medium filling space. Refuted. Closed. Yes—as an answer to “from what?” This question is open and fundamental. ODTOE answers: from H—the field of potential states.

7.2. What is H

H is not medium, not substance, not energy, not space. H is pure potentiality: an infinitedimensional space of all possible configurations from which the observer constitutes reality through R = Ô(Ψ). H is what ether wanted to be but could not: not “something in space” but “that from which space is.” 1.8.3

7.3. Evolution of the answer to “what is reality made of?”

Ether (19th c.) Fields (20th c.) Spacetime H (ODTOE)

→ "From material medium" → Refuted → "From quantized fields" → Partial (does not → "From geometry" → Partial (does not → "From potentiality through observation" → Not refuted (meta-level)

7.4. Formula

Ether → Vacuum → H.

Not ”in what” but ”from what.” R = Ô(Ψ).

Reality from potentiality.

Nineteenth-century physics felt correctly: something must be. But it got the answer wrong: this something is not a medium but a possibility. Not ether but H. Not substrate but potentiality. Not what things exist in but what they are observed into being.

1.9 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND TOOLS In developing ODTOE theory and all articles based on it, artificial intelligence tools were used: Claude Sonnet / Opus 4.6 Extended (Chat & Code) (Anthropic), ChatGPT 5.3 (OpenAI), Google Gemini (Google DeepMind). All substantive solutions, hypotheses, interpretations, and responsibility for them belong to the author.

REFERENCES

1. Pankratov A.S. Theory of Everything: Observer-Dependent (ODTOE) // Preprint. — 2025. — 47 p. 2. Pankratov A.S. The Number π as a Structural Invariant of Self-Consistent Observation in ODTOE // Preprint. — 2025. 3. Pankratov A.S. Atom as an Elementary Strange Loop in ODTOE // Preprint. — 2025.

4. Pankratov A.S. Earth as a Cluster of Observers: Universe Reconciliation // Preprint. — 2026. 5. Pankratov A.S. 3, 6, 9: Tesla’s Key through ODTOE // Preprint. — 2026. 6. Michelson A.A., Morley E.W. On the Relative Motion of the Earth and the Luminiferous Ether // American Journal of Science. — 1887. — Vol. 34. — P. 333–345. 7. Einstein A. Zur Elektrodynamik bewegter Körper // Annalen der Physik. — 1905. — Vol. 322(10). — P. 891–921. 8. Einstein A. Ether and the Theory of Relativity // Address at the University of Leiden. — 1920. 9. Casimir H.B.G. On the Attraction Between Two Perfectly Conducting Plates // Proc. Kon. Ned. Akad. Wet. — 1948. — Vol. 51. — P. 793–795. 10. Wheeler J.A. Information, Physics, Quantum: The Search for Links // Proceedings III International Symposium on Foundations of Quantum Mechanics. — 1989. 11. Pankratov A.S. Nature of Time in ODTOE // Preprint. — 2025. 12. Pankratov A.S. Photon as a Quantum of the Act of Observation // Preprint. — 2025. 13. Tesla N. My Inventions: The Autobiography of Nikola Tesla. — 1919. 14. Pankratov A.S. Quaternionic Structure of the Observer // Preprint. — 2026.