A Broader View of Relativity: General Implications of Lorentz and Poincare Invariance

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World Scientific, 2006 - Science - 516 pages
A Broader View of Relativity shows that there is still new life in old physics. The book examines the historical context and theoretical underpinnings of Einstein''s theory of special relativity and describes Broad Relativity, a generalized theory of coordinate transformations between inertial reference frames that includes Einstein''s special relativity as a special case. It shows how the principle of relativity is compatible with multiple concepts of physical time and how these different procedures for clock synchronization can be useful for thinking about different physical problems, including many-body systems and the development of a Lorentz-invariant thermodynamics. Broad relativity also provides new answers to old questions such as the necessity of postulating the constancy of the speed of light and the viability of Reichenbach''s general concept of time. The book also draws on the idea of limiting-four-dimensional symmetry to describe coordinate transformations and the physics of particles and fields in non-inertial frames, particularly those with constant linear accelerations. This new edition expands the discussion on the role that human conventions and unit systems have played in the historical development of relativity theories and includes new results on the implications of broad relativity for clarifying the status of constants that are truly fundamental and inherent properties of our universe. Sample Chapter(s). Chapter 1: Introduction and Overview (326 KB). Contents: The Historical and Physical Context of Relativity Theory: Space, Time and Inertial Frames; On the Right Track: Voigt, Lorentz, and Larmor; The Novel Creation of the Young Einstein; A Broader View of Relativity: The Central Role of the Principle of Relativity: Relativity Based Solely on the Principle of Relativity; Experimental Tests I & II; Group Properties of Taiji Relativity and Common Relativity; Common Relativity and Quantum Mechanics; Extended Relativity: A Weaker Postulate for the Speed of Light; The Role of the Principle of Relativity in the Physics of Accelerated Frames: The Principle of Limiting Lorentz and Poincar(r) Invariance; Physical Properties of Spacetime in Accelerated Frames; Dynamics of Classical and Quantum Particles in Constant-Linear-Acceleration Frames; Group and Lie Algebra Properties of Accelerated Spacetime Transformations; Appendices: Systems of Units and the Development of Relativity Theories; Quantum Electrodynamics in Both Linearly Accelerated and Inertial Frames; and other papers. Readership: Researchers in the field of relativity theory and advanced undergraduate students as a supplementary text.
 

Contents

Introduction and Overview
3
Space Time and Inertial Frames
12
The Nontrivial Pursuit of Earths Absolute Motion
19
Voigt Lorentz and Larmor
27
The Contributions of Poincare
36
The Novel Creation of the Young Einstein
64
The Central Role of the Principle of Relativity
85
Relativity Based Solely on the Principle of Relativity
87
The Role of the Principle of Relativity in the Physics of Accelerated Frames
265
The Principle of Limiting Lorentz and Poincare Invariance
267
The Principle of Limiting Lorentz and Poincare Invariance
271
Extended Lorentz Transformations for Frames with ConstantLinearAccelerations
284
Physical Properties of Spacetime in Accelerated Frames
297
Extended Lorentz Transformations for Accelerated Frames and a Resolution to the TwoSpaceship Paradox
319
Dynamics of Classical and Quantum Particles in ConstantLinearAcceleration Frames
330
Quantization of Scalar Spinor and Electromagnetic Fields in ConstantLinearAcceleration Frames
356

Common Relativity
100
Experimental Tests I
114
Group Properties of Taiji Relativity and Common Relativity
143
Invariant Actions in Relativity Theories and Truly Universal
158
and Fundamental Constants
168
Common Relativity and ManyBody Systems
170
Common Relativity and the 3K Cosmic Microwave Background
200
Common Relativity and Quantum Mechanics
213
Common Relativity and Fuzzy Quantum Field Theory
225
A Weaker Postulate for the Speed of Light
240
Group and Lie Algebra Properties of Accelerated Spacetime Transformations
378
Coordinate Transformations for Frames with a GeneralLinearAcceleration
389
A Taiji Rotational Transformation with Limiting 4Dimensional Symmetry
402
Epilogue
416
Appendices
423
A Systems of Units and the Development of Relativity Theories
425
B Can One Derive the Lorentz Transformation From Precision Experiments?
441
Quantum Electrodynamics in Inertial and NonInertial Frames D YangMills Gravity with Translation Gauge Symmetry in Inertial and Noninertial Fra...
483
Author Index
509
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