- #1
utesfan100
- 105
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I have been reading about Thomas precession and have encountered many papers that appear to give conflicting accounts of its magnitude and direction.
In particular I am considering the portion of the DeSitter precession that is accounted for by the Thomas precession. I have found values ranging from -1/6 to 1/6 to 1/2. The value of 1/2 appears to also require applying the equivalence principle to the energy of the satellite, rather than to rest mass.
I have considered the Laplace-Runge-Lenz vector, and the angle this makes with the radial vector. This angle rotates and depends only on orbital parameters at the satellite. This angular velocity should experience time dilation relative to the orbital velocity. This produced a precession of [itex]\gamma-1[/itex] times the orbital period, in the direction of rotation. This is 1/6 the DeSitter precession.
Often this effect is discussed in terms of quantum mechanics, specifically the orbit of electrons around a hydrogen nucleus. Here a negative value is derived. Electrons are thought to be in orbits where the wave form resonates. This would require the waveform to conform to the actual circumference, requiring a precession with the inverse of what I found above from the electrons perspective. To a first order approximation this changes the sign of the highest order term, causing a pseudo force adjustment of -1/6 the DeSitter precession for classical approximations.
Is this a correct way to understand this effect?
In particular I am considering the portion of the DeSitter precession that is accounted for by the Thomas precession. I have found values ranging from -1/6 to 1/6 to 1/2. The value of 1/2 appears to also require applying the equivalence principle to the energy of the satellite, rather than to rest mass.
I have considered the Laplace-Runge-Lenz vector, and the angle this makes with the radial vector. This angle rotates and depends only on orbital parameters at the satellite. This angular velocity should experience time dilation relative to the orbital velocity. This produced a precession of [itex]\gamma-1[/itex] times the orbital period, in the direction of rotation. This is 1/6 the DeSitter precession.
Often this effect is discussed in terms of quantum mechanics, specifically the orbit of electrons around a hydrogen nucleus. Here a negative value is derived. Electrons are thought to be in orbits where the wave form resonates. This would require the waveform to conform to the actual circumference, requiring a precession with the inverse of what I found above from the electrons perspective. To a first order approximation this changes the sign of the highest order term, causing a pseudo force adjustment of -1/6 the DeSitter precession for classical approximations.
Is this a correct way to understand this effect?