Relativistic Physics In Arbitrary Reference Frames

Relativistic Physics in Arbitrary Reference Frames

The concept of reference frame was introduced in physics at an early stage when its formalisation had just begun and even before introduction of systems of co-ordinates and equations of motion; this concept continues to play a fundamental role in science ever since. In this book, the author considers mainly the problem of the description and further applications of reference frames in relativistic physics primarily using a general relativistic approach to them.

Relativistic Physics in Arbitrary Reference Frames

Relativity in Rotating Frames

Even if the subject is a long-standing one, this is the first monograph on this field. On the one hand, this book is intended to give a rather wide review on this field, both in a historical and pedagogical perspective; on the other hand, it aims at critically re-examining and discussing the most controversial issues. For instance, according to some authors the celebrated Sagnac effect is a disproval of the theory of relativity applied to rotating frames; according to others, it is an astonishing experimental evidence of the relativistic theory. In order to give the reader a deeper insight into this research field, the contributing authors discuss their opinions on the main subjects in an enthralling virtual round table: in this way, the reader can get a direct comparison of the various viewpoints on the most controversial and interesting topics. This is particularly expedient, since the differences in the various approaches are often based upon subtleties that can be understood only by a direct comparison of the underlying hypotheses.