A Broader View of Relativity

Book excerpt: 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 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. Contents: Special Relativity is NOT Incorrect!; Space, Time, and Inertial Frames; The Novel Creation of the Young Einstein; Experimental Tests; Group Properties; Common Relativity and Quantum Mechanics; Extended Relativity; Dynamics of Classical and Quantum Particles; Group and Lie Algebra Properties of Accelerated Transformation of Spacetime; Graphic Representations of the Geometry of Spacetime in Accelerated Frames; Two Rocketships with Constant-Linear Acceleration; On a Gauge Theory of Gravity with Translation Gauge Symmetry in Inertial and Non-Inertial Frames; Appendices: Technical Aspects of Extended Relativity; Coordinate Transformations for Rotating Frames; and other papers. Key Features Includes five new chapters A complete and comprehensive description of Broad Relativity, which generalizes Einstein's original theory of special relativity to new physical time systems and a limited class of non-inertial frames Brings a fresh viewpoint with new physical implications and predictions to old physics Gives an updated discussion on fundamental physical constants and unit systems and their influence on the development of relativity theories Readership: Researchers in the field of relativity theory and advanced undergraduate students as a supplementary text.