Lecture 1.

Basic concepts
Reference body. Observe = deduce. Postulates. Standard conguration. Lorentz transformation:
t

= (t vx/c
2
)
x

= (vt + x)
y

= y
z

= z

ct

0 0
0 0
0 0 1 0
0 0 0 1

ct
x
y
z

Minkowski metric and denition of L:

g =

1 0 0 0
0 1 0 0
0 0 1 0
0 0 0 1

,
L
T
gL = g
A
T
gB

= A
T
gB A B Invariant
Proper time Familiarity with :
dt
d
= =

1 1/
2
,
d
dv
=
3
v/c
2
,
d
dv
(v) =
3
symbol denition components name(s) invariant
X X (ct, r) 4-displacement, interval c
2

2
U dX/d (c, u) 4-velocity c
2
P m
0
U (E/c, p) energy-momentum, 4-momentum m
2
0
c
2
A dU/d ( c, u + a) 4-acceleration a
2
0
4-acceleration is orthogonal to 4-velocity: U A = 0.
Lecture 2. Further basic ideas; moving light sources
Timelike, spacelike, null. Spacetime diagrams. Transformation of velocity:
u

=
u

v
1 u v/c
2
, u

=
u

v
(1 u v/c
2
)
.
....
....
Rapidity: tanh()
v
c
, cosh() = , sinh() = , exp() =

1 +
1

1/2
.
L =

cosh sinh 0 0
sinh cosh 0 0
0 0 1 0
0 0 0 1

, Colinear rapidities add.

Method of invariants.
4-wave vector K (/c, k), e
i(krt)
= e
iKX
Doppler eect: K U

0
=
1
(1 (v/v
p
) cos )
.
Headlight eect: K = L
1
K
0
cos =
cos
0
+ v/c
1 + (v/c) cos
0
.
Brightness. Examples in astrophysics and particle physics.
Lecture 3. Velocity again; Introducing force
1. A clarication on spacetime diagrams
2. Velocity transformation jets
3. Headlight eect or aberration:
Doppler eect: K U

0
=
1
(1 (v/v
p
) cos )
.
Headlight eect: K = L
1
K
0
cos =
cos
0
+ v/c
1 + (v/c) cos
0

dN
d
=
N
4

2
.
4. Force
F
dP
d
, U F =
2

dE
dt
+u f

= c
2
dm
0
d
.
Pure force:
U F = 0 m
0
= const,
dE
dt
= f u
Transformation of force: use LF and , or (d/dt

)(LP) :
f

=
f

(v/c
2
)dE/dt
1 u v/c
2
, f

=
f

v
(1 u v/c
2
)
.
transverse force reduced by
5. Equation of motion in any given reference frame:
f =
dp
dt
=
d
dt
(m
0
v) = m
0
a + m
0
d
dt
v
acceleration is not necessarily parallel to force!
f

=
3
m
0
a

, f

= m
0
a

.
Lecture 4. Simple dynamical problems; acceleration and rigidity.
1. Equation of motion in any given reference frame:
f =
dp
dt
=
d
dt
(mv) = ma + m
d
dt
v
for pure force (m=constant):
f

=
3
ma

, f

= ma

.
2. Uniform B eld: just like classical result, but with m m
0
.
3. Motion parallel to E eld: hyperbolic motion, x
2
c
2
t
2
= (c
2
/a
0
)
2
and

U U.
4. Rigidity; the Great Train Disaster
Lecture 5. The conservation of energy and momentum
1. Lewis and Tolman argument: p = m(v)v p = mv.
2. Impact of simultaneity on P
tot
= P
1
+P
2
+P
3
+ . . . P
n
.
3. Zero component lemma: if one component of a 4-vector is zero in all reference frames, then the
whole 4-vector is zero.
Hence momentum conservation energy conservation.
Main postulates,
momentum conservation

E
0
= mc
2
, equivalence of rest mass and rest energy.
4. Energy ux = momentum density: S = gc
2
Lecture 6. Collisions.
Method: Isolate and square.
1. Decay at rest. e.g. nd the energy of one of the products:
E
1
=
M
2
+ m
2
1
m
2
2
2M

c
2
, E
photon
= E
rest
E
recoil
.
2. In-ight decay. e.g. Find the rest mass of the original particle:
M
2
= m
2
1
+ m
2
2
+
2
c
4
(E
1
E
2
p
1
p
2
c
2
)
it suces to measure m
1
, m
2
, p
1
, p
2
, .
3. Particle formation. e.g. threshold energy (stationary target):
E
th
=
(

i
m
i
)
2
m
2
M
2
2M
c
2
.
4. Elastic collision. e.g. nd lab frame opening angle in terms of CM properties:
tan(
1
+
2
) =

2
1

2
sin
0
5. Compton eect (A. H. Compton, Physical Review 21, 483 (1923)):

=
h
mc
(1 cos ).
6. Composite body: p =

i
p
i
, E =

i
E
i
, P
2
= m
2
c
2
, v = pc
2
/E.
[7. other: 3-body decay, inverse Compton eect, etc.]
Lecture 7. 4-gradient; ow; Thomas precession
1. 4-gradient operator:

1
c

t
,

x
,

y
,

z

If is a Lorentz-invariant scalar quantity, then

= L
i.e. is a 4-vector.
2. 4-divergence
F =
1
c
F
0
t
+ f ,
2
= =
1
c
2

2
t
2
+
2
.
3. Wave phase is Lorentz-invariant.
K is a 4-vector

2
= 0 is the wave equation.
4. Flow and conservation:
4-current density J
0
U = (c, j)
continuity equation J = 0.
5. Thomas precession: net excess angle for a circle = 2( 1),
d
dt
= ( 1)
a
v
, More generally:
T
=
a v
c
2

2
1 +