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

Jong-Ping Hsu, Leon Hsu

World Scientific, 2006 - Electronic books - 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
• 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
• 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
• 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

Bibliographic information

• Title: A Broader View of Relativity: General Implications of Lorentz and Poincare Invariance; Volume 10 of Advanced series on theoretical physical science
• Authors: Jong-Ping Hsu, Leon Hsu
• Publisher: World Scientific, 2006
• ISBN: 9812774289, 9789812774286
• Length: 516 pages