Supervisor: Hans Fynbo

Though Special Relativity predicts some odd consequences, experiments have been made to test predictions such as time dilation and length contraction.

The Fizeau experiment in 1851, which measured the speed of light in moving water, and the Ives-Stilwell experiment in 1938, which tested time dilation via emission of light by accelerated ions, and several other experiments all agree with Special Relativity.

Yet tests of Special Relativity continue with ever increasing precision to this day. This is done in the hope of finding violations of Lorentz Invariance.

Several new theories predict violation of Lorentz invariance and experimentally finding one would be a breakthrough in physics. However, Special Relativity still stands strong.

In addition to a short introduction to Special Relativity, I will give an overview of the classical experiments and move on to modern tests, with a focus on a recent one titled “Test of Special Relativity Using a Fiber Network of Optical Clocks.”