Stefan Marinov
Encyclopedia
Stefan Marinov (1931–1997) was a Bulgaria
n physicist
, researcher, writer and lecturer who promoted anti-relativistic theoretical viewpoints, and later in his life defended the ideas of perpetual motion
and free energy
. He
committed suicide in Graz
, Austria
on 15 July 1997.
to a family of intellectual communists.
In 1948 he finished Soviet College in Prague
, then studied physics
at the University of Prague
and Sofia University
. He was an Assistant Professor of Physics from 1960 to 1974 at Sofia University
. In 1966-67, 1974, and 1977 he was subject to compulsory psychiatric
treatment in Sofia because of his political dissent
. In September 1977 Marinov received a passport and he successfully emigrated out of the country, moving to Brussels
. In 1978, Marinov moved to Washington, D.C.
. Later he lived in Italy
and Austria
. In his later years, Marinov earned a living as a groom for horses.
On 15 July 1997, Marinov jumped to his death from a staircase at a library at the University of Graz
, after leaving suicide notes. He was 66 years old and was survived by his son Marin Marinov, who at the time was a vice-Minister of Industry of Bulgaria.
sources via construction of toy theories (new axiomatic systems that putatively describe our physical reality) and their experimental testing against mainstream physical theories. In 1992 Marinov wrote a letter to German Federal Chancellor Helmut Kohl
in support of a German company, Becocraft, that was doing research into "free energy
" technologies and had recently been the target of lawsuits. In the letter, Marinov threatened to set himself on fire at the steps of the German parliament if Kohl was not willing to intervene in favour of Marinov's associates.
of the velocity of light
. However, Marinov's claims have not found acceptance within the scientific community, despite his energetic efforts to promote his claims. Marinov planned to develop an updating of the relativistic mechanics
and electrodynamics, as described in his self-published book Eppur si Muove. Marinov succeeded in having his claims presented in numerous publications, although none in peer-reviewed journals.
Marinov was involved publicly with many quarrels with the Editor of Nature, who refused to print either his papers or his Letters to the Editor. He retaliated by securing the funds to place full-page ads in Nature expressing his frustration with what he regarded as the dogmatic attitude of the Establishment.
Aside from fundamental physics, Stefan Marinov was interested in the science expertise of bizarre experiments, violating physics laws. So he claimed to have seen in operation and learned the secret of the so-called "Swiss ML converter" or Testatika electrical generator, another alleged perpetual motion machine, at a religious commune in Switzerland called Methernitha
. According to Marinov's account, this 500-member commune, led by religious leader Paul Baumann, met all its energy needs using this device.
Marinov has been editor of a 5 volume encyclopaedic series called "Classical Physics". In 1993 Marinov also authored a book on electromagnetism which discoursed on his belief that mainstream scientific thought was mired in dogma, and had discarded still-valid knowledge from scientific thought of previous eras. Nevertheless in 1997 in the last issue 21 of Deutsche Physik Marinov self-published experimental results that disprove that the Siberian Coliu, constructed by Marinov himself, is a perpetual motion machine, and where Marinov concluded that Ampere's law in electromagnetism is correct. Most of Marinov's friends think these negative results on constructing a source of free energy (in order to solve the global energetic needs of humanity) might have pushed Marinov to commit a suicide.
Marinov himself published a journal, Deutsche Physik, where he was Editor-In-Chief, and which discussed mainly his ideas on physics.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
, researcher, writer and lecturer who promoted anti-relativistic theoretical viewpoints, and later in his life defended the ideas of perpetual motion
Perpetual motion
Perpetual motion describes hypothetical machines that operate or produce useful work indefinitely and, more generally, hypothetical machines that produce more work or energy than they consume, whether they might operate indefinitely or not....
and free energy
Second law of thermodynamics
The second law of thermodynamics is an expression of the tendency that over time, differences in temperature, pressure, and chemical potential equilibrate in an isolated physical system. From the state of thermodynamic equilibrium, the law deduced the principle of the increase of entropy and...
. He
committed suicide in Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
on 15 July 1997.
Life and education
Marinov was born on 1 February 1931 in SofiaSofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
to a family of intellectual communists.
In 1948 he finished Soviet College in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, then studied physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
at the University of Prague
Czech Technical University in Prague
Czech Technical University in Prague is one of the largest universities in the Czech Republic, and the oldest institute of technology in Central Europe....
and Sofia University
Sofia University
The St. Clement of Ohrid University of Sofia or Sofia University is the oldest higher education institution in Bulgaria, founded on 1 October 1888...
. He was an Assistant Professor of Physics from 1960 to 1974 at Sofia University
Sofia University
The St. Clement of Ohrid University of Sofia or Sofia University is the oldest higher education institution in Bulgaria, founded on 1 October 1888...
. In 1966-67, 1974, and 1977 he was subject to compulsory psychiatric
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
treatment in Sofia because of his political dissent
Political dissent
Political dissent refers to any expression designed to convey dissatisfaction with or opposition to the policies of a governing body. Such expression may take forms from vocal disagreement to civil disobedience to the use of violence. Historically, repressive governments have sought to punish...
. In September 1977 Marinov received a passport and he successfully emigrated out of the country, moving to Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. In 1978, Marinov moved to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. Later he lived in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. In his later years, Marinov earned a living as a groom for horses.
On 15 July 1997, Marinov jumped to his death from a staircase at a library at the University of Graz
University of Graz
The University of Graz , a university located in Graz, Austria, is the second-largest and second-oldest university in Austria....
, after leaving suicide notes. He was 66 years old and was survived by his son Marin Marinov, who at the time was a vice-Minister of Industry of Bulgaria.
Work
One of Marinov's interests was the quest for free energyPerpetual motion
Perpetual motion describes hypothetical machines that operate or produce useful work indefinitely and, more generally, hypothetical machines that produce more work or energy than they consume, whether they might operate indefinitely or not....
sources via construction of toy theories (new axiomatic systems that putatively describe our physical reality) and their experimental testing against mainstream physical theories. In 1992 Marinov wrote a letter to German Federal Chancellor Helmut Kohl
Helmut Kohl
Helmut Josef Michael Kohl is a German conservative politician and statesman. He was Chancellor of Germany from 1982 to 1998 and the chairman of the Christian Democratic Union from 1973 to 1998...
in support of a German company, Becocraft, that was doing research into "free energy
Perpetual motion
Perpetual motion describes hypothetical machines that operate or produce useful work indefinitely and, more generally, hypothetical machines that produce more work or energy than they consume, whether they might operate indefinitely or not....
" technologies and had recently been the target of lawsuits. In the letter, Marinov threatened to set himself on fire at the steps of the German parliament if Kohl was not willing to intervene in favour of Marinov's associates.
Research
Marinov attempted to find experimental disproof of the theory of relativity by testing the speed of light in different directions using an arrangement of coupled mirrors and coupled shutters. Marinov reported in 1974 that he had measured an anisotropyAnisotropy
Anisotropy is the property of being directionally dependent, as opposed to isotropy, which implies identical properties in all directions. It can be defined as a difference, when measured along different axes, in a material's physical or mechanical properties An example of anisotropy is the light...
of the velocity of light
Speed of light
The speed of light in vacuum, usually denoted by c, is a physical constant important in many areas of physics. Its value is 299,792,458 metres per second, a figure that is exact since the length of the metre is defined from this constant and the international standard for time...
. However, Marinov's claims have not found acceptance within the scientific community, despite his energetic efforts to promote his claims. Marinov planned to develop an updating of the relativistic mechanics
General relativity
General relativity or the general theory of relativity is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1916. It is the current description of gravitation in modern physics...
and electrodynamics, as described in his self-published book Eppur si Muove. Marinov succeeded in having his claims presented in numerous publications, although none in peer-reviewed journals.
Marinov was involved publicly with many quarrels with the Editor of Nature, who refused to print either his papers or his Letters to the Editor. He retaliated by securing the funds to place full-page ads in Nature expressing his frustration with what he regarded as the dogmatic attitude of the Establishment.
Aside from fundamental physics, Stefan Marinov was interested in the science expertise of bizarre experiments, violating physics laws. So he claimed to have seen in operation and learned the secret of the so-called "Swiss ML converter" or Testatika electrical generator, another alleged perpetual motion machine, at a religious commune in Switzerland called Methernitha
Methernitha
Methernitha refers to two related entities, both founded by Paul Baumann : Methernitha Christian Alliance and Methernitha Cooperative...
. According to Marinov's account, this 500-member commune, led by religious leader Paul Baumann, met all its energy needs using this device.
Marinov himself published a journal, Deutsche Physik, where he was Editor-In-Chief, and which discussed mainly his ideas on physics.
Sources
- Stefan Marinov invention - MAGVID: Magnetic Vortex Hyper-Ionization Device, Yahoo group
- Notes written by colleagues after Marinov's death
- Archived copy of Marinov's "Ballrace Motor" article, and an interview with him
- archive.org copy of Marinov's text which allegedly appeared as an advertisement in the 28 March 1996 issue of Nature
- Web site documenting the Nature advertising saga
- Paper describing the ballrace experiment (in German)
- Another paper, this one by a third party, analysing the ballrace experiment (also in German)