RELATIVITY
Angelo Marco A. Ramoso
Lecture 24 Angelo Marco A. Ramoso 1/ 18
Outline
1. Calculate the relativistic energy and momentum of a particle
in one reference frame given its measured values in another
inertial frame.
2. Derive the Doppler Shift formulae.
Lecture 24 Angelo Marco A. Ramoso 2/ 18
From Last Meeting
• What we did:
⇒ Energy and Momenta of particles
⇒ Energy and Momenta of massless particles
• Today:
⇒ Lorentz Transformation of Energy and momenta
Lecture 24 Angelo Marco A. Ramoso 3/ 18
Recall: Four-Momenta
• In the lab frame, • Then in the rocket frame,
dt dt 0
⇒ E =m ⇒ E0 = m
dτ dτ
dx dx 0
⇒ px = m ⇒ px0 = m
dτ dτ
dy 0
dy
⇒ py = m ⇒ py0 = m
dτ dτ
dz 0
dz
⇒ pz = m ⇒ pz0 = m
dτ dτ
Lecture 24 Angelo Marco A. Ramoso 4/ 18
Recall: Four-Momenta
• In the lab frame, • Then in the rocket frame,
⇒ E = γm ⇒ E 0 = γ 0m
⇒ px = γmβx ⇒ px0 = γ 0 mβx0
⇒ py = γmβy ⇒ py0 = γ 0 mβy0
⇒ pz = γmβz ⇒ pz0 = γ 0 mβz0
Lecture 24 Angelo Marco A. Ramoso 5/ 18
Recall: Lorentz Transformation
• To convert energy and momentum from one frame to
another, we apply the Lorentz Transformation.
⇒ t 0 = γr t − γr βr x
⇒ x 0 = γr x − γr βr t
⇒ y0 = y
⇒ z0 = z
• Then
⇒ ∆t 0 = γr ∆t − γr βr ∆x
⇒ ∆x 0 = γr ∆x − γr βr ∆t
⇒ ∆y 0 = ∆y
⇒ ∆z 0 = ∆z
Lecture 24 Angelo Marco A. Ramoso 6/ 18
Recall: Lorentz Transformation
• To convert energy and momentum from one frame to
another, we apply the Lorentz Transformation.
⇒ t 0 = t cosh θr − x sinh θr
⇒ x 0 = x cosh θr − t sinh θr
⇒ y0 = y
⇒ z0 = z
• Then
⇒ ∆t 0 = ∆t cosh θr − ∆x sinh θr
⇒ ∆x 0 = ∆x cosh θr − ∆t sinh θr
⇒ ∆y 0 = ∆y
⇒ ∆z 0 = ∆z
Lecture 24 Angelo Marco A. Ramoso 7/ 18
Lorentz Transformation of E and p
• Lab (t, x, y , z) to Rocket (t 0 , x 0 , y 0 , z 0 )
⇒ E 0 = γr E − γr βr px
⇒ px0 = γr px − γr βr E
⇒ py0 = py
⇒ pz0 = pz
• Rocket (t 0 , x 0 , y 0 , z 0 ) to Lab (t, x, y , z)
⇒ E = γr E 0 + γr βr px0
⇒ px = γr px0 + γr βr E 0
⇒ py = py0
⇒ pz = pz0
Lecture 24 Angelo Marco A. Ramoso 8/ 18
Lorentz Transformation of E and p
• Lab (t, x, y , z) to Rocket (t 0 , x 0 , y 0 , z 0 )
⇒ E 0 = E cosh θr − px sinh θr
⇒ px0 = px cosh θr − E sinh θr
⇒ py0 = py
⇒ pz0 = pz
• Rocket (t 0 , x 0 , y 0 , z 0 ) to Lab (t, x, y , z)
⇒ E = E 0 cosh θr + px0 sinh θr
⇒ px = px0 cosh θr + E 0 sinh θr
⇒ py = py0
⇒ pz = pz0
Lecture 24 Angelo Marco A. Ramoso 9/ 18
Lorentz Transformation of E and p
Exercise
According to the lab frame, a 1 [kg] particle moves with a con-
stant velocity of −0.5̂. What is the energy and momentum
along the y-axis of the particle as seen by a rocket frame mov-
ing at a velocity 0.25̂ with respect to the lab frame?
3
• E 0 = √ [kg] = 1.34 [kg]
5
2
• py0 = − √ [kg] = −0.89 [kg]
5
Lecture 24 Angelo Marco A. Ramoso 10/ 18
Lorentz Transformation of E and p
Exercise
A particle is at rest relative to a rocket frame and has mass
8.25 [eV]. Relative to a stationary observer in a lab frame, this
rocket frame is moving with speed 0.225 along the +x-axis.
What is the particle’s energy and momentum relative to the lab
frame?
• E = 8.467107096 [eV]
• px = +1.905099096 [eV]
Lecture 24 Angelo Marco A. Ramoso 11/ 18
Lorentz Transformation of E and p
Exercise
A particle is observed by the lab frame to have some energy E
and momentum p. A rocket frame measures the same particle
to have a zero momentum. What is the velocity of the rocket
frame with respect to the lab?
p
• βr =
E
Lecture 24 Angelo Marco A. Ramoso 12/ 18
Lorentz Transformation of E and p
Exercise
Particle A and B (both have mass of 2 [MeV]) are moving
toward each other with speeds 0.600 and 0.450 respectively.
What is the total energy and momentum of the system wrt the
lab? What is the total energy and momentum of the system
according to a rocket moving with velocity 0.750 wrt the lab?
• Esys = 4.74 [MeV] , psys = +0.492 [MeV]
0 0
• Esys = 6.60 [MeV] , psys = −4.63 [MeV]
Lecture 24 Angelo Marco A. Ramoso 13/ 18
Doppler Shift Formula
• Suppose a photon is emitted in a lab frame at an angle φ
with respect to its x-axis and frequency f .
• What is the frequency f 0 and angle φ0 with respect to the
x-axis of a rocket moving with speed βr with respect to
the x-axis of the lab frame?
Lecture 24 Angelo Marco A. Ramoso 14/ 18
Doppler Shift Formula
• The frequency measured in the rocket is
f 0 = γr f 1 − βr cos φ
∼ (1)
0
f = f cosh θr − sinh θr cos φ ∼ (2)
• Note that when φ = 0, then
s
1 − βr
f0 = f ∼ (3)
1 + βr
f 0 = f cosh θr − sinh θr
∼ (4)
Lecture 24 Angelo Marco A. Ramoso 15/ 18
Doppler Shift Formula
• The measured angle in the rocket φ0 is related to the
angle in the lab φ by the equation
cos φ − βr
cos φ0 = ∼ (5)
1 − βr cos φ
cos φ − tanh θr
cos φ0 = ∼ (6)
1 − tanh θr cos φ
Lecture 24 Angelo Marco A. Ramoso 16/ 18
Doppler Shift Formula
Exercise
A lab frame emits a photon with frequency 3 [MHz] at an angle
of 30 [◦ ] with respect to its x-axis. What is the measured fre-
quency and angle of this photon in a rocket frame moving at a
velocity of 0.50 along the x-axis with respect to the lab frame?
• f 0 = 1.96 [MHz]
• φ0 = 49.8 [◦ ]
Lecture 24 Angelo Marco A. Ramoso 17/ 18
Next Meeting
Invariance of Mass
Read Spacetime Physics Sec 13. pp 134-138
Lecture 24 Angelo Marco A. Ramoso 18/ 18
