Two miracles of general relativity
- Creators
- Read, James
- Brown, Harvey R.
- Lehmkuhl, Dennis
Abstract
We approach the physics of minimal coupling in general relativity, demonstrating that in certain circumstances this leads to (apparent) violations of the strong equivalence principle, which states (roughly) that, in general relativity, the dynamical laws of special relativity can be recovered at a point. We then assess the consequences of this result for the dynamical perspective on relativity, finding that potential difficulties presented by such apparent violations of the strong equivalence principle can be overcome. Next, we draw upon our discussion of the dynamical perspective in order to make explicit two 'miracles' in the foundations of relativity theory. We close by arguing that the above results afford us insights into the nature of special relativity, and its relation to general relativity.
Additional Information
© 2018 Elsevier Ltd. Received 29 March 2017, Revised 12 March 2018, Accepted 13 March 2018, Available online 27 April 2018.Additional details
- Eprint ID
- 86076
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20180427-103405489
- Created
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2018-04-27Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
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2021-11-15Created from EPrint's last_modified field