Merging with The Supreme Lets talk BEC and Brahma

Lord Shiva in yogic posture

We discuss here the concluding message by Shukacarya to Maharaja Parikshit, as he is preparing for his death. The merging of the Jeevatma with the Paramatma, after death, is compared to the merging of the space within a pot with the space outside. In this context, we also discuss an interesting analogy from quantum physics and the Nobel Prize winning (2001) discovery of a new state of matter called the Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC). The quantum states that led to the fusion of matter waves at ultralow temperatures can be compared to the yogic state that is necessary for the fusion of the individual soul with all other souls and the Supreme Soul.
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Dear All: On September 21, 1908 (the day of the winter equinox, March 21 is the spring equinox), Professor H. Minkowski gave a famous lecture, which begins as follows. "The views of space and time which I shall lay before you have sprung from the soil of experimental physics and therein lie their strength. From now on space by itself and time by itself, are doomed to fade away into mere shadows, and only a kind of union of the two will preserve an independent reality." See page 75 in The Principle of Relativity, Dover Publications, English translations of original papers by Einstein and his contemporaries, by W. Perrett and G. B. Jeffery Unfortunately, Minkowski died at a very young age, in the following year. He was only 45 years old. Minkowski was a Professor of mathematics while Einstein was a physicist. Back then, not many people paid attention to Einstein's, now famous, 1905 paper on the theory of relativity. Einstein too was disappointed. Minkowski was among the first, from academia, to take Einstein seriously. He took Einstein's equations and took them to their next level (OF BEWILDERING COMPLEXITY) and laid the foundations for what we call spacetime continuum - the mathematics of four-dimensional space! Minkowski also paved the way for Einstein's subsequent incorporation of non-Euclidean geometry principles when he extended the theory of relativity to describe gravitational effects on the speed of light. Notice that the hyphen between space and time has been dropped, by Minkowski, quite deliberately. What is this spacetime? How do we perceive this continuum? Today, I went back to another beautiful verse from Srimad Bhagavatam. This too talks about space. We have talked so much about time in the past month, since we started the Cosmology Lessons based on Krishna's teachings in chapter 8, see link given below. http://www.scribd.com/doc/89443432/Cosmology-Lessons-from-TheBhagavad-Gita
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Much of the discussion was about time and timescales of billions and trillions of years, far beyond our comprehension. We even ventured into Einstein's theory of relativity, whether or not we understand it. For the "science enthusiasts", I have added some additional points on this below the signature line. Now let us talk about space as described by Shukaacarya. The sloka given below appears in Canto 12, chapter 5, and is called the final teaching (antima upadesham) of Shukaacarya to Maharaja Parikshit. Here he attempts to summarize all his teachings and prepare Parikshit for his death and soon to arrive last moments. Parikshit had been listening to Shukaacarya, without food, without sleep, without any rest, nonstop for seven days with a focused mind. And, yes, Shukaacarya too had been continuing the discourse. And, many others who had assembled also listened, nonstop, for those seven days. Shukaacarya tells Parikshit here very clearly how he can face death and actually never even experience the bite of the poisonous snake (serpent) Takshaka, who was supposed to come and bite Parikshit (because of the curse of a Brahmin boy). It should be remembered that Takshaka could assume any form he pleased, not just the snake form. He too was present in the audience, in a human form, waiting for his chance to get close to Parikshit. Shukaacaraya concludes his discourse by telling Parikshit to remain fearless in the face of death and then kindly asks, "My dear, tell me, is there anything else you wish to hear from me?" Oh, the compassion of this great soul Shukaacarya! Seven days of nonstop discourse and he then concludes with 'do you wish to hear anything else from me'!

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Now, here is the beautiful sloka about space itself and how it relates to each one of us.

Parikshit receiving instructions from Shukaacarya on the banks of the Ganga

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=parikshit+meditation+pictures&view=detail&id=9 0A01EA5DE41E711324CD08324673DCDC38DD566&first=0&FORM=IDFRIR

GhatE bhinnE yathaakasha aakaashah syaad yathaa puraa l Evam dehE mrutE jeevO Brahma sampadyate punahaa ll 12.4.5 ll SB SS

l ll . . ll

Space is all around us. The Sanskrit word use here is aakaasha. If we look at the sky, it feels like a huge dome surrounding us. If we are out in the open, in a sparsely populated area, this expansiveness of space that surrounds us can be experienced and indeed felt. For those in Metro Detroit area, drive into Canada, entering at Port Huron, on the way to
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Tornoto or Niagara Falls, and you can experience this, especially at night. You can see the Big Dipper clearly and all the stars on a clear night. Now, imagine a small earthen pot (ghata in Sanskrit). The space that we are talking about existed before the potter made this pot. What is within the pot? It appears empty if we do not put anything into the pot (like water, or rice, or better yet, gold coins!). But before this filling, was it really empty? NO. The pot is not empty. It is filled with "space" - that same vast space that surrounds us. Only a small part of that "vast" space lies entrapped within the pot.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_mwbEDOn5PPg/TI5G JSaC3PI/AAAAAAAAADc/_HnMRTULOwM/s1600/chakra-meditationspiral.gif&imgrefurl=http://danny-in-dr.blogspot.com/2010/09/chakra-meditation-partii.html&h=723&w=532&sz=25&tbnid=nhUsZsNMdGgEVM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=66&prev=/s earch%3Fq%3Dmeditation%2Bpictures%2Bchakras%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zo om=1&q=meditation+pictures+chakras&docid=TAASr4_AxBAUfM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=rhgT8KQIqrf6QHCr5SOAg&ved=0CFcQ9QEwAg&dur=8161

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What happens if the pot breaks? The space trapped within the pot merges with the vast space without (meaning outside of) the pot. The two merge seamlessly. Yathaa aakaasha aakaashah syaad yathaa puraa. This is the meaning of the first line of the above sloka (verse). Just as (yathaa) when the pot breaks (ghatE bhinnE) the sky (aakaasha) becomes aakaashah as before (syaad yathaa puraa). In other words, the space within the pot and the space outside become one, like before. It is as if the sky became like it was before the pot existed. The second line is even more profound if we understand this imagery. Shukaacarya tells Parikshit that death (dehE mrute) must be viewed in the same way. The deham is like the pot and death is like the breaking of the pot. Just as the space within the pot merges with the space outside the pot, seamlessly, the jeeva merges with the Supreme - Brahma sampadyate punahaa - at the time of death! Sampadyate actually means to acquire or gain. Punahaa is added and it means once again. The jeeva once again regains, or acquires, the Supreme (Brahma, short vowel). The jeeva was always united but just did not know it. Like the space within the pot is not really different from the space outside. But being trapped within the body, the jeeva lost some of the seamless contact with the Supreme. The death of the body (dehE mrute), the casting away of the body, leads to the union of the Jeevatma with the Paramatma. This is not to be feared. It is to be welcomed. This is the antima upadesam of Shukaacaryaa to Parikshit. After receiving this message, Parikshit thanks the great acarya profusely for being so kind as to spend seven days with him as he was preparing for his own death. He thanks the acarya for showering him with the thoughts of the Supreme for all the seven days. He promises not to be afraid when he is bitten by Takshaka. He worships the acarya formally. Then Shukaacarya took leave of Parikshit and left with his disciples. The
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latter merged his thoughts fully into the Supreme (Brahma, short vowel). The fiery poison from Takshaka only served as the flame to set Parikshit's body on fire. He had already departed. All the three worlds were wonder struck - the devas, the asuras, gandharvas, and others. Celestial drums started beating as Parikshit left his body and a shower of flowers from the heavens fell on to that spot.

Krishna instructs Arjuna in the battlefield of Kurukshetra, where the feuding cousins (Pandavas and Kauravas), were assembled with their mighty armies to fight the great Mahabharata war. The battlefield became the unlikely setting for one of the most profound discourses known to mankind.

There is a similar sloka in chapter 13 of the Bhagavad Gita, which we must recall here. It uses practically the same language. Here Krishna, after addressing Arjuna's enquiry (I wish to know about kshetram, kshetrajna, jnanam, jneyam, Prakriti and Purusha; Krishna goes through the list in the order written here) is summing up with a discussion about Purusha. Yadaa bhoota-pruthag-bhaavam ekastham anupashyati l Ta-taeva ca vistaaram Brahma sampadyate tadaa ll 13.30 ll BG

l ll . ll

Yadaa (when) is always followed by tadaa (then). When A occurs then what? This must be answered. Here Krishna says, then Brahma (short vowel "ma") is gained. We use the word sampatti to signify wealth, in other
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word, to acquire something of value. The verb form sampadyate is used to signify the same. Brahma sampadyate means, "One then acquires Brahma", the highest good that one can hope to attain. The word Brahma is derived from the root verb "bru" which means to grow. In the Vishnu Sahasranamam, we encounter the verse Anur Bruhat krushas-sthoolO... Here Bruhat means He who grows, Becomes gigantic, like Vamana did after Maharaja Bali agreed to grant Him three steps. "Brahma" is to be understood in the same way - the all encompassing, all pervading, the growing and expanding beyond imagination, truth that illumines. There is no confounding, no bewildering at this point. It is only a Divine and Unfathomed Blissful realization. When does this happen? Krishna answers this in the first line. Pruthag means to differentiate or to discriminate. We talk about different types of discrimination based on race, religion, language, sex, nationality and so on. We do not see a man. We see his race, his religion, and sadly, among Indians at least, what language he speaks, how he looks, and so on. We cannot see a body. We see a woman, a female form, or a man, the male form. This is pruthag. But, let us go beyond. We see a dog, we see a cat, we see a bird, we see a penguin, a whale, a fish, a dolphin. We again see their bodies. We cannot see the jeevaatma, the individual soul, trapped within that body, as we learn in chapter 2 of the Gita (verse 11 to 38 focus on this point, primarily). As long as we have this feeling (bhaavam) of differentiation or discrimination, we will never be able to experience that Supreme Truth. Krishna says that when one begins to see (anupashyati) all beings as one, as residing in one (ekastham), then one has attained that Ultimate Bliss and all of the world fuses into one blissful truth. The story is often told that even great Adi Sankara was not immune to this and was tested by Lord Shiva Himself, who appeared in the form of a candala (the lowest of the lowest in the derided and despised Hindu "caste" system). Sankara was walking down the street, with his disciples, at Kashi.
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Illustration of the chakras within the body

The Bhagavad Gita and also the Srimad Bhagavatam describe what one must do and how the lifebreath must leave the body (through one of the chakras. Krishna mentions both the Ajna (between the two eyebrows) and Sahasraara (the crown of the head) in chapter 8. Shukaacarya also describes how the individual soul can actually travel to different (unseen worlds) lokas by controlling the life breath and existing the body (not necessarily when it is time to die). Courtesy: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.crystalmilligan.com/wpcontent/uploads/2011/08/chakra-chart.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.crystalmilligan.com/spiritualgrowth/water-meditation-for-chakra-balancing-andhealth/&h=300&w=300&sz=33&tbnid=zHV0pxbEurIVpM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=90&prev=/search %3Fq%3Dmeditation%2Bpictures%2Bchakras%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=me ditation+pictures+chakras&docid=VXwRbdDkpXowjM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=rhgT8KQIqrf6QHCr5SOAg&ved=0CFQQ9QEwAQ&dur=710

****************************************************************** The candala appeared with the most uncouth dress imaginable accompanied by his dogs. He was immediately told to move away and disappear from sight, at which, the candala asked, "What do you want to move away? This body or the consciousness within?" Adi Sankara then fell at the feet of the candala realizing his folly and recognized that he was indeed being tested. (This story is often told to explain verse 18 of chapter 5, shuni caiva shwapaakE ca panditaah.
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Adi Sankara was going to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, one morning. His path was blocked by an "untouchable" who was accompanied by his wife and 4 dogs. After being confronted by this untouchable, Sankara realised that it was not an ordinary person and understood that it was Lord Shiva himself who had come along with His consort and the four Vedas. He prostrated before the Lord and sang five slokas called "Manisha Panchakam". Lord Shiva presented himself along with Visalakshi and blessed Sri Sankara.

****************************************************************** Here shwapaaka means a candala - one who is born of a Brahmin woman and a Shudra man.) Then Adi Sankara composed the famous Maneesha Pancakam - five verses addressing this topic of the soul within the body. http://sanskritdocuments.org/all_pdf/manishhaa5.pdf http://shankarapath.blogspot.com/2011/02/shankaracharya-confrontschandala.html How could this fusion of all the aatmas into a collective ONE, with the utter lack of any differentiation or discrimination, as described by Krishna above, conceivably occur?
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I am reminded of a beautiful analogy from physics. As we know, we have different states of matter, solid, liquid and gas. Physicists often think of a plasma, where we do not have neutral atoms but just electrically charged particles, as another state of matter. Such plasmas are produced when a gas is heated to a tremendously high temperature. Then the electrons from the atoms gets stripped off and we only have electrically charged particles. But it is very difficult to deal with this state of matter. It can only be "confined" using very powerful magnetic fields. Physicists tried to use such confined plasmas to force hydrogen nuclei to fuse together so that we could build a practical device to produce huge amounts of energy (for peaceful uses, like generating electricity). This would be a nuclear fusion reactor, as opposed to the nuclear fission reactors now in practical use for generating electricity. When two hydrogen nuclei fuse to produce a nucleus of the helium atom, some mass disappears and we can produce energy, as predicted by Einstein's famous E = mc2. So, far no success has been reported even after more than 80 plus years of trying. Plasmas probably existed in the Universe immediately after the BIG BANG. There is another state of matter, which goes to the other extreme of ultralow temperatures. Now the atoms of the gas stop vibrating and their speed, or more correctly, velocities, decrease. They are no longer in what we call the "agitated" or "high energy" state. Atoms in the gas move at lower and lower speeds if the temperature is reduced. Keep on reducing the temperature to unimaginably low values. Atoms also exhibit wave-like properties. At ultralow temperatures the waveforms of atoms will just fuse together and yield a new state of matter with remarkable properties. The existence of such a state was predicted theoretically, based on quantum physics arguments, by Bose and Einstein. Bose provided some statistical arguments where he reinterpreted Planck's equations from the first paper on Quantum Physics, see links below.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Satyendra-Nath-Bose/39191379344?sk=info http://www.chem.yale.edu/~chem125/125/history99/7BondTheory/planck.htm
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http://www.unizar.es/acz/05Publicaciones/Revistas/Revista58/091.pdf http://bado-shanai.net/map%20of%20physics/mopPlancksderivBRL.htm Bose conveyed his interpretation to Einstein, who took the next step. Einstein sent a theoretical paper off and thus was produced (on paper) what is now called the Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC). Physicists tried for many years to develop the BEC and study its properties. The problem always was producing ultralow temperatures. Finally they succeeded at the turn of the 20th century, in 1995 and 1996. Three physicists (one from MIT, Prof. Ketterle, with whom I have had some personal email correspondence on this topic, hence I know a little bit about this) got the Nobel Prize for this discovery in 2001, see link. http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/2001/ketterlelecture.html The key to producing the BEC and the fusion of atoms is the ultralow temperature when all atoms are in the state of lowest conceivable agitation. This is the main point here about drawing this analogy. The mind (manas) must be in this state of ultralow agitation. Then the buddhi (higher intellect) must be used. This is the process described by Shukaacarya and also by Krishna. Only then can one jeevaatma fuse with another and the Paramaatma. How low is low to get the BEC? Imagine the condition where all atoms are not moving at all and have exactly zero speed or velocity (v = 0). This is the lowest temperature imaginable. It is called the Absolute Zero temperature - physicists do use capitals with A and Z for this. This temperature is called zero Kelvin (K). We also know the exact value for this temperature. 0 K = - 273 C = - 459 F.

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If we can go to - 459 Fahrenheit, or - 273 Celsius, all atoms will stop moving. (I have used whole numbers here without the decimal values.) This numerical value was determined using experimental results, and then some theoretical insights, from observing how the volume of a gas increases with temperature, at ordinary temperatures that we are used to. This is known as Charles' law and some might still remember studying it in our high school chemistry and physics classes. The temperature at which the volume of a gas (deduced by extrapolation to low temperatures) will go to zero, exactly (which is impossible since atoms have a finite volume) is the defined as the Absolute Zero of temperature. ****************************************************************** Since, the volume of the gas V = a + bT = b [ T + (a/b)], where T is the familiar temperature and a and b are constants determined from experiment, it follows that when T = - a/b the volume V = 0. Hence, we can rewrite this as V = b where = T + (a/b) is the absolute temperature. This can be related to the Fahrenheit or Celsius scales that we commonly use. The numerical value for Absolute Zero was deduced using these theoretical arguments by William Thompson, who was later knighted and became known as Lord Kelvin. He was one of the most influential physicists of the mid to late 19th century and gave the famous Two Clouds lecture in 1900. Within a few months, by December 1900, one cloud had disappeared with the birth of Quantum Physics, enunciated by Max Planck. The other cloud also dissipated, in 1905, with Einsteins theory of relativity where he boldly dismisses, at the very outset, the ether (the physical medium needed for propagating light as an electromagnetic wave) as simply being superfluous, see page 38 in The Principle of Relativity, cited earlier for Minkowski quote. See http://physics.about.com/od/physicshistory/p/KelvinsDarkClouds.htm ****************************************************************** The BEC is observed at temperatures as low as a few nanoKelvins. One nanometer means a billionth of a meter. NanoKelvin means one billionth of one Kelvin. Imagine we are at the ultralow temperature of 1 Kelvin. Now we have to get to 0 K. (Notice that the degree symbol is not used with
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absolute temperature scale. You must remember this ALWAYS if you want to be treated as a knowledgeable scientist by your peers. ) To go from 1 K to 0 K, we have to take a billion steps of equal divisions on this temperature scale. Let us move slowly from I K to 0 K and imagine that we have taken 900 steps. As we take the final 100 steps, we will begin to see the glimpses of the BEC. We still have to complete more than one-half of the 100 steps of that very last journey to see the BEC. Atoms of alkali metals like sodium, potassium, rubidium, seem to be most popular in BEC investigations.

FIG. 14. The MIT atom laser operating at 200 Hz. Pulses of coherent sodium atoms are coupled out from a BoseEinstein condensate confined in a magnetic trap (field of view 2.5 X 5.0 mm2). Every 5 ms, a short rf pulse transferred a fraction of these atoms into an unconfined quantum state. These atoms were accelerated downward by gravity and spread out due to repulsive interactions. The atom pulses were observed by absorption imaging. Each pulse contained between 105 and 106 atoms.

What does a BEC look like? Yes, it has been seen. Drops of BEC have been produced and allowed to fall freely like we drop ordinary balls or spheres (see above). As the BEC drops fall, they produce a brilliant flash of light and also change shape as they fall. The MIT physicists thought they could develop a new type of laser, called the atom laser, using the BEC. Still awaiting for news on this front, after nearly 11 years since the Nobel Prize in 2001 (Figure 14 from the Nobel lecture given by Prof. Ketterle). http://www.mpipks-dresden.mpg.de/~yast/Articles/MyArt/RMP01131.pdf see Figure 14 here.

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http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2010/06/18/quantum-freefall-experimenters-drop-a-bose-einstein-condensate-down-a-40-storyshaft/ June 18, 2010 experiment http://physics.nist.gov/Pubs/Bec/j4cornel.pdf http://cua.mit.edu/ketterle_group/projects_1997/atomlaser_97/atomlaser_c omm.html If you find the BEC fascinating, and I am sure you do, try to marvel at what would happen when you reach the state of Brahma sampadyate tadaa, as stated by Krishna, or Brahma sampadyate punahaa, as stated by Shukaacarya - when you merge with ALL and the Supreme - like the atoms of a BEC! Very sincerely V. Laxmanan May 1, 2012 ****************************************************************** P. S. Here are a few additional points about the "spacetime continuum" that Minkowski talks about.

Einstein's theory of relativity is not just about time alone. It is also about space. It is about the perception of space and time, as perceived by two observers A and B who are considered to be moving relative to each other, at some fixed speed U. If and x and t denote space and time, respectively, for observer A and x' and t' the space and time for observer B, what is the relation between x and x' and t and t'? This was the question that Einstein tried to answer, mathematically, by imposing just one restriction. He said, let us assume that the speed of light, Einstein uses the symbol c, has the same value for both A and B. To derive
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the mathematical relationship, Einstein starts with the following (see pages 33 and 34 in Introduction to the Theory of Relativity by P. G. Bergmann, with a Foreword by Albert Einstein, Dover Publications, 1976; Bergmann was Einsteins disciple at Princeton): Let and, let x' = A (x - Ut) t' = B t + C x

Of course, physics existed BEFORE Einstein. In the physics BEFORE Einstein, A = 1, B = 1 and C = 0. This means x' = (x - Ut) and t' = t, before Einstein and the speed of light c would depend on the motion of the observer, just like the speed of a car depends on whether you are standing still on the road, or following it in another car (and therefore moving). Einstein said, NO. The speed of light does not change with motion (see later). May be, it is time that changes when observers are moving. The problem then is to determine the values of the three unknowns A, B, and C in these two equations, subject to new constraint of the universal constancy of the speed of light for ALL observers. Notice how the apriori equation, set up for t', really mixes up space and time together. Both x and t appear in this equation for t'. Space and time, therefore, do not exist independently of each other. One can say, about the pot that Shukaacaarya describes, using Einsteins spacetime ideas, that space has curved itself and filled into the pot because of the mysterious force of gravity that must come into existence in the immediate vicinity of the pot! Cheers! Finally, think about this for a moment. Is the union of space and time PREDICTED by Einstein's theory? Or, is it a foregone conclusion? Is it an assumption built into the theory?

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If we start with the equations for x' and t', which already mix up space and time, what is the new prediction? All that Einstein's subsequent math has done is to provide new mathematical expressions for A, B, and C. We might as well argue that the above equations for x' and t' here are the MOST GENERAL equations and that Einstein and Newton describe two special cases of an INFINITELY more complex spacetime, where A, B, C have values that we cannot even begin to comprehend! This is just like the general equation for a straight line, given by, y = mx +b, where different straight lines are just special cases with different values of m and b. Or the general equation for what is known as the conic section Ax2 + Bxy + Cy2 + Dx + Ey + F = 0 The equation for well-known geometric curves such as a circle, ellipse, parabola, and hyperbola, can all be derived as special cases of the above general equation, as is the equation for a straight line. In the 1905 paper, Einstein arrives at the following values for the constants A, B, and C. The Greek symbols , , and are preferred by scientists. Einsteins physics A = B = = 1/ 1 (U2/c2) and, C = = - (U/c2) Galileo, Newton, and Maxwells physics A=B=1 and, C = 0 There may still be new physics to be discovered with other unexplored, and still unconceived, values of the three constants A, B, and C. ******************************************************************
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Finally, as an aside, towards the end of the 19th century, a famous experiment, known as the Michelson-Morley experiment, was set up at the Case Western Reserve University, in Cleveland, OH to determine exactly this variation in the speed of light due to motion (in this case, the motion of the earth through the imperceptible ether). Michelson spent all his professional life developing new and improved methods to determine the speed of light. He received the Nobel Prize in 1907 for this achievement and for developing a new standard for length measurement, using light. The wavelength of light became a new standard. The meter bar that was originally used as the standard for length measurement could be replaced with a fixed number of light waves. http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1907/michelsonlecture.html

Earth traveling through the imperceptible ether (often called ether wind) However, the experiment Mickelson had set up, along with Morley, was unable to detect any differences in the speed of light, as the earth moved in its orbit around the sun. This was a puzzling result, if the speed of light is affected by the medium (the unseen ether which is believed to cling tenaciously to the earth and moving with the earth at the same speed as the earth). Michelson was very disappointed. A
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cloud was thus hanging over physics at the dawn of the 20th century. Even today, the null-result of the Michelson-Morley experiment is unexplained and is only rationalized by unquestioningly accepting the theory of relativity, and Einsteins bold and summary dismissal of the very existence of the ether in 1905. ******************************************************************

M2

M1

A light beam from the source is split into two rays by the half-silvered mirror. One-half of the beam travels forward to the mirror M1 and is reflected back. The other half travels to the mirror M2, following a perpendicular path, and is also reflected back. The speed with which the light rays travel in the two directions is different. (The analogy used is that of a boat traveling down or up a river and another boat traveling across the river.) Hence, there is a small difference in the times taken by the two rays to travel back and forth to the half-silver mirror where they are recombined and observed using the detector. The experiment was continued at different times in the year, to detect any variations due to the changing direction of the ether wind.

****************************************************************** Very briefly, Maxwells theory of light being an electromagnetic wave, implies that two light rays, traveling in mutually perpendicular directions from the same starting point, will take slightly different times to return to the starting point, if they are bounced back using mirrors, see diagram. The time difference for the two perpendicular paths traveled by the two rays can be calculated precisely, using
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theory and the known value of the speed of the earth in its orbit. Michelsons experimental set up was capable of detecting this time difference. Yet, no time difference was ever detected! This is the Michelson-Morley puzzle or paradox. Michelson would have preferred to receive the Nobel Prize for detecting this time difference, instead of just developing the replacement for the meter bar, just as Einstein would have preferred to receive the Nobel for his theory of relativity. Instead, Einstein was awarded the Nobel for his theory that light must be made of particles, now called photons, each with an energy equal to the fundamental quantum of energy proposed by Planck in 1900. So, Einstein actually received the Nobel Prize for E = hf, not the famous E = mc2. Here h is Plancks constant and f is the frequency of the light wave. Light thus has both a wave and a particle character. As they say, light travels as a wave but it seems to arrive as a particle! Physicists have a remarkable way of putting their theories into words!

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