Thread View: sci.physics
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Started by Courtenay Footman
Sat, 01 Nov 1986 03:50
A GR "paradox"
Author: Courtenay Footman
Date: Sat, 01 Nov 1986 03:50
Date: Sat, 01 Nov 1986 03:50
23 lines
1754 bytes
1754 bytes
Here is a "paradox" in general relativity. (It is no more a paradox than the twins paradox in special relativity, but it is amusing.) Consider an accelerating charged particle. It radiates electromagnetic radiation at a rate proportional to the acceleration squared. A charged particle that is forced to move in a circle radiates, because it is accelerated. Now consider that same charged particle in orbit around another body. The particle, of course, feels no acceleration. (It is in freefall.) Does it radiate? A similar problem: now consider a charged particle sitting on your desk. According to GR, acceleration and gravitation are locally indistinguishable. So does any charged particle sitting your desk radiate energy??? If not, does that mean that a uniformly accelerating particle does not radiate? I will post my explanations of what is going on here (which may or may not be the same as anyone elses) in a little while. -- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Courtenay Footman ARPA: cpf@lnssun1.tn.cornell.edu Lab. of Nuclear Studies Usenet: cornell!lnssun1!cpf Cornell University Bitnet: cpf%lnssun1.tn.cornell.edu@WISCVM.BITNET
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