The Sagnac effect: correct and incorrect explanations

G.B. Malykin
Federal Research Center A.V. Gaponov-Grekhov Institute of Applied Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Ulyanova 46, Nizhny Novgorod, 603000, Russian Federation

Different explanations for the Sagnac effect are discussed. It is shown that this effect is a consequence of the relativistic law of velocity composition and that it can also be explained adequately within the framework of general relativity. When certain restrictions on the rotational velocity are imposed, the Sagnac effect can be attributed to the difference in the time dilation (or phase change) of material particle wave functions in the scalar (or correspondingly vector) gravitational potential of the inertial forces in a rotating reference system for counterpropagating waves. It is also shown that all the nonrelativistic interpretations of the Sagnac effect, which are unfortunately sometimes found in scientific papers, monographs and textbooks, are wrong in principle, even though the results they yield are accurate up to relativistic corrections in some special cases.

PACS: 01.65.+g, 03.30.+p, 07.60.Ly, 42.87.Bg (all)
DOI: 10.1070/pu2000v043n12ABEH000830
URL: https://ufn.ru/en/articles/2000/12/c/
Web of Science

000167166600003
Citation: Malykin G B "The Sagnac effect: correct and incorrect explanations" Phys. Usp. 43 1229 (2000)

BibTexBibNote ® (generic)BibNote ® (RIS)MedlineRefWorks

Оригинал: Малыкин Г Б «Эффект Саньяка. Корректные и некорректные объяснения» УФН 170 1325–1349 (2000); DOI: 10.3367/UFNr.0170.200012c.1325

References (290) Cited by (36) Similar articles (20) ↓

A.A. Logunov, Yu.V. Chugreev “Special theory of relativity and the Sagnac effect” Sov. Phys. Usp. 31 861–864 (1988)
G.B. Malykin “The relation of Thomas precession to Ishlinskii’s theorem as applied to the rotating image of a relativistically moving body” Phys. Usp. 42 505–509 (1999)
G.B. Malykin, V.I. Pozdnyakova “Geometric phases in singlemode fiber lightguides and fiber ring interferometers” Phys. Usp. 47 289–308 (2004)
V.I. Bodnarchuk, L.S. Davtyan, D.A. Korneev “Geometrical phase effects in neutron optics” Phys. Usp. 39 169–177 (1996)
G.B. Malykin “Para-Lorentz transformations” Phys. Usp. 52 263–266 (2009)
G.B. Malykin “Sagnac effect in ring lasers and ring resonators. How does the refraction index of the optical medium influence the sensitivity to rotation?” Phys. Usp. 57 714–720 (2014)
V.I. Ritus “Permutation asymmetry of the relativistic velocity addition law and non-Euclidean geometry” Phys. Usp. 51 709–721 (2008)
G.B. Malykin, V.I. Pozdnyakova “Quadratic Sagnac effect — the influence of the gravitational potential of the Coriolis force on the phase difference between the arms of a rotating Michelson interferometer (an explanation of D C Miller's experimental results 1921—1926)” Phys. Usp. 58 398–406 (2015)
V.I. Ritus “On the difference between Wigner’s and Møller’s approaches to the description of Thomas precession” Phys. Usp. 50 95–101 (2007)
V.A. Aleshkevich “On special relativity teaching using modern experimental data” Phys. Usp. 55 1214–1231 (2012)
B.M. Bolotovskii, G.B. Malykin “Visible shape of moving bodies” Phys. Usp. 62 1012–1030 (2019)
V.B. Morozov “On the question of the electromagnetic momentum of a charged body” Phys. Usp. 54 371–374 (2011)
G.B. Malykin “Application of the modified Duguay method for measuring the Lorentz contraction of a moving body length” Phys. Usp. 64 1058–1062 (2021)
V.I. Vysotskii, V.I. Vorontsov et al “The Sagnac experiment with X-radiation” Phys. Usp. 37 289–302 (1994)
Yu.I. Hovsepyan “Some notes on the relativistic Doppler effect” Phys. Usp. 41 941–944 (1998)
Ya.A. Smorodinskii, V.A. Ugarov “Two paradoxes of the special theory of relativity” Sov. Phys. Usp. 15 340–346 (1972)
M.I. Krivoruchenko “Rotation of the swing plane of Foucault’s pendulum and Thomas spin precession: two sides of one coin” Phys. Usp. 52 821–829 (2009)
A.I. Musienko, L.I. Manevich “Classical mechanical analogs of relativistic effects” Phys. Usp. 47 797–820 (2004)
E.G. Bessonov “Another route to the Lorentz transformations” Phys. Usp. 59 475–479 (2016)
M.A. Miller, Yu.M. Sorokin, N.S. Stepanov “Covariance of Maxwell equations and comparison of electrodynamic systems” Sov. Phys. Usp. 20 264–272 (1977)

The list is formed automatically.