Stefan Marinov

Stefan Marinov (1 February 1931 – 15 July 1997) was a Bulgarian 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. In 1997, he self-published experimental results that confirmed classical electromagnetism and disproved that a machine he had constructed could be a source of perpetual motion.

In 1948, Marinov finished Soviet College in Prague, then studied physics at the Czech Technical University in Prague and Sofia University. Marinov was an Assistant Professor of Physics from 1960 to 1974 at Sofia University. In 1966–67, 1974, and 1977, Marinov was subject to compulsory psychiatric treatment in Sofia because of his political dissent. In September 1977, Marinov received a passport and 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 horse groom.

Work One of Marinov's interests was the quest for free energy sources via the 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 favor 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 anisotropy 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 was involved publicly in many quarrels with John Maddox, 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 a full-page advertisement in Nature expressing his frustration with what he regarded as the dogmatic attitude of the establishment. Marinov himself published a journal, Deutsche Physik, of which he was editor-in-chief and which discussed mainly his ideas on physics.

Stefan Marinov was interested in experiments alleged to violate known physical laws. Marinov 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.

Death Marinov died in Graz, Austria on 15 July 1997.

Works published