Authors:
- Special relativity textbook authored by a leading researcher in the field
- Self-contained presentation, from the foundations to applications at the frontiers of research
- Includes many exercises, worked examples and detailed discussions
- Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras
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Table of contents (29 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Space-Time, Light and the Æther
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Front Matter
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Time Dilation, and Lorentz-Fitzgerald Body Contraction
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Front Matter
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The Lorentz Transformation
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Front Matter
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Time
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Front Matter
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Mass, Energy, Momentum
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Front Matter
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About this book
Rafelski presents Special Relativity in a language deemed accessible to students without any topical preparation - avoiding the burden of geometry, tensor calculus, and space-time symmetries – and yet advancing in highly contemporary context all the way to research frontiers. Special Relativity is presented such that nothing remains a paradox or just apparent, but rather is explained.
A text of similar character, content, and scope, has not been available before. This textbook describes Special Relativity when rigid material bodies are introduced describing the reality of body contraction; it shows the relevance of acceleration and the necessary evolution of the theoretical framework when acceleration is critical. This book also presents the evolving views of Einstein about the aether.
In addition to a careful and elementary introduction to relativity complete with exercises, worked examples and many discussions, this volume connects to current research topics so that readers can explore Special Relativity from the foundation to the frontier.
Reviews
“This book offers a valuable study of special relativity (SR) in a language accessible to students ... . An outstanding feature of the book is that it connects clarity in the fundamental questions about SR, and the developments of SR since 1905 to current research topics. This is an impressive book that should be beneficial for students, lecturers and explorers who are interested in SR.” (Abraham A. Ungar, zbMATH 1375.83001, 2018)
Authors and Affiliations
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Department of Physics, University of Arizona, TUCSON, USA
Johann Rafelski
About the author
Prof. Rafelski is the editor of the open-access book: Melting Hadrons, Boiling Quarks - From Hagedorn Temperature to Ultra-Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collisions at CERN - With a Tribute to Rolf Hagedorn (Springer, 2016)
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Relativity Matters
Book Subtitle: From Einstein's EMC2 to Laser Particle Acceleration and Quark-Gluon Plasma
Authors: Johann Rafelski
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51231-0
Publisher: Springer Cham
eBook Packages: Physics and Astronomy, Physics and Astronomy (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer International Publishing AG 2017
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-319-51230-3Published: 27 March 2017
eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-51231-0Published: 13 March 2017
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XXV, 468
Number of Illustrations: 22 b/w illustrations, 63 illustrations in colour
Topics: Classical and Quantum Gravitation, Relativity Theory, Classical Electrodynamics, Nuclear Physics, Heavy Ions, Hadrons, Atoms and Molecules in Strong Fields, Laser Matter Interaction, Particle Acceleration and Detection, Beam Physics, Classical Mechanics