Experimental investigation of the influence of spatially distributed charges on the inertial mass of moving electrons as predicted by Weber’s electrodynamics

Abstract

It was shown (J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 62, 1418 (1993)) that Weber’s force law predicts an influence upon the apparent inertial mass of electrically charged particles in relative motion. The quantity of this influence, called Weber’s mass, depends on the relative motion (both speed and acceleration) and the relative spatial distribution of the particles. A special case was analytically solved, in which the motion of a single point charge was considered, surrounded by a static and fixed spherical surface with a homogeneous charge distribution. The first experimental test of the prediction showed positive results (Annal. Fond. Louis de Broglie, 24, 161 (1999)). Two reproductions were carried out, in which null results were reported together with an explanation for the previous positive result. It was suggested that a possible reason for the null result in the experimental setup could be that the charges could freely move on the surface. We set out to reproduce all previous experiments to get detailed insight into the problem, after which we designed a setup that would exclude the possibility of the moving charges on the surface. In all situations we could confirm the null results with a statistical precision of up to 0.009%