Related papers: Explicit exact expression for the Thomas precessio…
An apparent paradox in Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity, known as a Thomas precession rotation in atomic physics, has been verified experimentally in a number of ways. However, somewhat surprisingly, it has not yet been demonstrated…
Exact and simple calculation of Thomas rotation and Thomas precessions along a circular world line is presented in an absolute (coordinate-free) formulation of special relativity. Besides the simplicity of calculations the absolute…
A relativistic particle undergoing successive boosts which are non collinear will experience a rotation of its coordinate axes with respect to the boosted frame. This rotation of coordinate axes is caused by a relativistic phenomenon called…
Because of its apparent complexity, the discussion of Wigner rotation is usually reduced to the study of Thomas precession, which is too specific a case to allow a deep understanding of boost composition. However, by simple arguments and…
Using the standard formalism of Lorentz transformation of the special theory of relativity, we derive the exact expression of the Thomas precession rate for an electron in a classical circular orbit around the nucleus of a hydrogen-like…
We analyze the angular momentum balance for a particle undergoing Thomas precession. The relationships among relativistic torque, the center of mass, and the center of inertia for a spinning particle are clarified. We show that spin…
We review why the Thomas rotation is a crucial facet of special relativity, that is just as fundamental, and just as "unintuitive" and "paradoxical", as such traditional effects as length contraction, time dilation, and the ambiguity of…
The Thomas precession is calculated using three different transformations to the rotating frame. It is shown that for sufficiently large values of $v/c$, important differences in the predicted angle of precession appear, depending on the…
We determine the nonlinear transformations between coordinate systems which are mutually in a constant symmetrical accelerated motion. The maximal acceleration limit follows from the kinematical origin and it is an analogue of the maximal…
It is demonstrated that the 3--vector $\bs{S}$ currently associated to the spin in an inertial frame does not contract, but rather dilates, in the direction of the velocity. The correct vector $\bs{T}$ is individuated. The equation of…
We develop a relativistic velocity space called \emph{rapidity space} from the single assumption of Lorentz invariance, and use it to visualize and calculate effects resulting from the successive application of non-colinear Lorentz boosts.…
Fundamentals of the local smooth loops due to Sabinin are concisely outlined together with the corresponding infinitesimal objects, so-called \nu-hyperalgebras, and the analogue of the Lie groups theory. We apply here this theory to to…
We present a didactic derivation of the special theory of relativity in which Lorentz transformations are `discovered' as symmetry transformations of the Klein-Gordon equation. The interpretation of Lorentz boosts as transformations to…
The purpose of this paper is to provide an elementary introduction to the qualitative and quantitative results of velocity combination in special relativity, including the Wigner rotation and Thomas precession. We utilize only the most…
Using elementary geometric tools, we apply essentially the same methods to derive expressions for the rotation angle of the swing plane of Foucault's pendulum and the rotation angle of the spin of a relativistic particle moving in a…
In special relativity a gyroscope that is suspended in a torque-free manner will precess as it is moved along a curved path relative to an inertial frame S. We explain this effect, which is known as Thomas precession, by considering a real…
We show that starting with the fact that special relativity theory is concerned with a distortion of the observed length of a moving rod, without mentioning if it is a "contraction" or "dilation", we can derive the Lorentz transformations…
In order to generalize the relativistic notion of boost to the case of non inertial particles and to general relativity, we come back to the definition of Lie group of Lorentz matrices and its Lie algebra and we study how this group acts on…
We show that relativistic rotation transformations represent transfer maps between the laboratory system and a local observer on an observer manifold, rather than an event manifold, in the spirit of C-equivalence. Rotation is, therefore,…
The new derivation of the equation of the spin precession is given for a particle possessing electric and magnetic dipole moments. Contributions from classical electrodynamics and from the Thomas effect are explicitly separated. A fully…