INTRODUCTION TO RELATIVITY LECTURE 4

1 Conjugate momentum 1
pg
2 Noether theorem
pg 1
3 Special relativity pg 5
1 Conjugate momentum
I
Let us go back to the Euler Lagrange egs

345 2g
and define the CONJUGATE MOMENTUM

pi Igi
This quantity is useful because IF 0 L does not depend
24
on the coordinate
q THEN THE MOMENTUM CONJUGATE To qi
is CONSERVED

of Igi Pi 24 O

Obs using that L is a scaler check that

pi is a covariant
Newtonian tensor justifying the position of the index

Example from L
Im Sij XiXi Lagrangian of a free
particle in Cartesian
coordinates

we obtain
M bijX which is the Newtonian
Pi Fyi
I m Xi momentum

2 Noether theorem
There are situations in which L does not depend on specific
combinations of coordinates
usually determined by SYMMETRIES
of L How can we determine these combinations A theorem by
Emmy Noether comes in our aid

Suppose we have coordinates gift and we transform them

using an infinitesimal transformation

Attention now we de
gilt gift t 8g t not require Iq ti o fl
transformation leaves invariant the action then we
If this
will have a conserved quantity To leave invariant the action
L an at most vary by a total derivative see lecture 2

SL L qt Eq 9 89 L
q g f 21g Sgi 24 Sgi
Lag
k
Eg 1 2g 89
It Eq 89
q
we admit it to be
at most a total derivative
on the solution of the EM
Ig
0
24

ftp.fqi k 0
Fpi Sgi k conserved

Examples
1 Translations Xi Xi tai with ai constant
We have Ex ai and
 L Sij II XiXi SL O K o
I Mz Sig

This means that

m Xia is conserved
pifxi
But ai is constant pi Mii conserved
MOMENTUM CONSERVATION IS CONNECTED TO

INVARIANCE UNDER TRANSLATIONS

2 Rotations St T T has modulus

yty.gg 1871 151Sina SO
and direction along
do
Nxt
EF son xp
This can be written using the Levi Civita symbol

Sri SO Eijknjuk

Using this in the free Lagrangian

L
I XiXi I Xi SO
Eiji nix't x soeikmniex

MXixittzfofdhxinkxmteiyx.in
to a
x
antisym
symm antisymsym

Xiii
82 0 K O
This means that pisxi pi Eiskmix 80 is conserved
 But SO nj is constant hence what is really conserved is

Li Elite EJ Xk pi F xp
pix
ANGULAR MOMENTUM CONSERVATION IS CONNECTED TO

INVARIANCE UNDER ROTATIONS

3 Time translations t t St
We now have in
full generality
L L act Stl ft
alt g H get
L
qt g St gig St
R
L 9,91 St
21,9 24,9

49,9 84 241St
If L does not depend explicitly on t SL 0 St
K L St because It is constant

But then
L St
pi Sgi Lot pigi is conserved

H pi ji L Hamiltonian is conserved

ENERGY CONSERVATION IS CONNECTED TO

TIME TRANSLATION INVARIANCE
3 Special Relativity
Special relativity is based on the following postulates

Principle of relativity physics low have the same form in

all inertial frames
The speed of light is the same in all inertial frames
Space time is homogeneous and isotropic

Galileo's transformations F F Tt
E t
clearly cannot be compatible with the second postulate since for
the speed of
light we would have E Ett E
We thus need to find new transformations to connect different
inertial frames These will be called Lorentz transformations
Let's consider 2 inertial frames
ay ay

X
ET X

Z L z L
K K
where T
is the velocity of k measured in K Suppose also that
the clocks are sinchronized to have o o at t o t
We clearly must have
y y
z Z
on the other hand x t t 6
X
f we are allowing
for
t t to transform
go
How can we fix fix it and From the 3rd postulate
gait
f and must be LINEAR This follows realizing that if there
g
are no special points in space and time physics can only depend
on DX and At as in Newtonian mechanics Suppose now
that x a x the x't DX t or other non linear
any
function Then

XL Xs 4 x2 Xs a XE E t b XE X t

T
do not depend on Xz xn only
We must thus write
x Txt At
t art at
The movement is described as
of o follows
in K Xo Vt 0 Out At
in K Xf O N
A Tv

X Xx ut
t a X tart
 7
The movement of 0 is described as follows
in K Xo 0 Vt out
ut E 92 8
in K x a t
µ
X JA Vt
t an rt
We now use the 2nd postulate and demand C
E E forbig
Ct VICE Vt t
V E t Oct E acts
t act rt t acts t N
F
af re a
I re
X VA Vt
t 8ft EX
which can be written in the more symmetric form

X J X
Ect
t
Oft Ex
To determine 8 we use the 1st postulate and require that
the exchange Kak corresponds to ve V

x
Rx Ict
ft rat't f x
But then X 8 x Vt 8 8 x't vE V8 t x
f
IP x't E Ex Rft E X

The sign
FIFE on be
fixed requiring to recover Galileo's transformation
for E KS

x's X Vt x Vt

t
Fg t I t
we must
choose
I
f f x

Using Lorentz transformation it is easy to check that the

quantity
Est AR
Ay AE AS INTERVAL
does not change i.e we have
Z 12 2
Est 1
Syr Sz ESE 1
by Azz

The Lorentz transformation can be generalized to happen along

direction To this end we write
any
at 8 A B xx
Xi 8 Xy Pct X I parallel or orthogonal t
I Is the velocity
 9
Defining P E
we have
Px P I with F X Is and

BEEB

Thus
at rect PF ÉÉ
I I th ret Bct
I5 18 175 JP at
IT 8 PT p 8pct