Aether theories

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In the history of physics, aether theories (or ether theories) proposed the existence of a medium, a space-filling substance or field as a transmission medium for the propagation of electromagnetic or gravitational forces. Using a substantial aether fell out of use in modern physics after experiments like the Michelson–Morley experiment of July 1887 which failed to detect an aether. However, aether theories were still popular among other scientific circles until the early 1920s, at which point the theory was largely abandoned. The development of special relativity theories made aether theory unnecessary. This early modern aether has little in common with the aether of classical elements from which the name was borrowed. The assorted theories embody the various conceptions of this medium and substance.

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