On the meaning of Lorentz covariance
Abstract
In classical mechanics, Galilean covariance and the principle of relativity are completely equivalent and hold for all possible dynamical processes. In contrast, in relativistic physics the situation is much more complex. It will be shown that Lorentz covariance and the principle of relativity are not completely equivalent. The reason is that the principle of relativity actually only holds for the equilibrium quantities that characterize the equilibrium state of dissipative systems. In the light of this fact it will be argued that Lorentz covariance should not be regarded as a fundamental symmetry of the laws of physics.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.physics/0308036,
title = {On the meaning of Lorentz covariance},
author = {Laszlo E. Szabo},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:physics/0308036},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
17 pages, 6 figures, LaTeX, important changes in the presentation, there is no change, however, in the main message of the paper