Chris P. Duif
Chris P. Duif | |
|---|---|
| Known for | Critical review of gravitational anomalies during solar eclipses (Allais effect) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics, gravitation |
Chris P. Duif is a physicist known for a critical review of reported gravitational anomalies observed during solar eclipses. He is listed in The Worldwide List of Dissident Scientists.
Work
In 2004 Duif circulated a preprint, "A review of conventional explanations of anomalous observations during solar eclipses" (arXiv:gr-qc/0408023), which surveys the field of alleged mechanical and gravitational anomalies during eclipses. The review examines the paraconical pendulum observations of Maurice Allais, the torsion-pendulum measurements of Saxl and Allen, and gravimeter data, together with attempts to replicate them.
Duif concludes that the proposed conventional explanations either qualitatively or quantitatively fail to account for the observations, giving particular attention to reported tilts of the vertical. He argues that none of the conventional explanations are convincing and recommends that the anomalies, given the relatively low cost of the experiments and the large implications if genuine, deserve further investigation. The preprint was not peer reviewed, and the existence of a genuine "Allais effect" remains disputed within mainstream physics.