  In a previous paper published in this journal, we described a new
relativistic wave equation that accounts for the propagation of light from a
source to an observer in two different inertial frames. This equation, which is
based on the primacy of the Doppler effect, can account for the relativity of
simultaneity and the observation that charged particles cannot exceed the speed
of light. In contrast to the Special Theory of Relativity, it does so without
the necessity of introducing the relativity of space and time. Here we show
that the new relativistic wave equation based on the primacy of the Doppler
effect is quantitatively more accurate than the standard theory based on the
Fresnel drag coefficient or the relativity of space and time in accounting for
the results of Fizeau's experiment on the optics of moving media - the very
experiment that Einstein considered to be "a crucial test in favour of the
theory of relativity." The new relativistic wave equation quantitatively
describes other observations involving the optics of moving bodies, including
stellar aberration and the null results of the Michelson-Morley experiment. In
this paper, we propose an experiment to test the influence of the refractive
index on the interference fringe shift generated by moving media. The Special
Theory of Relativity, which is based on the relativity of space and time, and
the new relativistic wave equation, which is based on the primacy of the
Doppler effect, make different predictions concerning the influence of the
refractive index on the optics of moving media.
