Session R9 - Non-Doppler Redshift Mechanisms with Possible Cosmological Applications.
ORAL session, Monday afternoon, April 07
Washington A, Loews Philadelphia Hotel
In cosmological observations, red-shifts of the ElectroMagnetic spectra (photons) are commonly observed. These are usually interpretated as due to Doppler recessional velocities or Space Expansion (although there is usually no conclusive independent measurement of a velocity or space expansion). With the assignment of a "velocity", the distance of the object is ascribed via the Hubble diagram or a cosmological model. In some cases, another interpretation of the observed red-shift may be possible. That is, the EM photons may be red-shifted via a cumulative energy-loss mechanism with the intervening medium. Noting that neutrinos are similar "wave-particle" energy packets to photons, neutrinos will also undergo a similar red-shift due to any Doppler recessional velocity or Space Expansion. However, if the observed photon red-shift is due to a cumulative energy-loss mechanism with the intervening medium, the neutrino red-shift will be much smaller since the interaction cross-section for neutrino-medium interactions will be much smaller than any photon-medium cross-section. Thus, observation and comparison of photon red-shifts vs corresponding neutrino red-shifts will be very informative. If the photon and neutrino red-shifts are similar, then a Doppler recessional interpretaion is justified. If the neutrino red-shift is much smaller than any corresponding photon red-shift, then an interpretation via a cumulative energy-loss mechanism is justified. This is a very definitive experimental test of red-shift interpretations.