Relativity Calculator - Law of Energy Conservation and the Doppler Effect

Law of Energy Conservation and the Doppler Effect

"Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one" - Albert Einstein ( 1879 - 1955 )

Atomic Doppler Effect

The Relative Motion of The Frame of Reference of a Moving and Oscillating Atom:

This above schema is simplified and equivalent to this emission diagram:

Just before the moment when the moving atom, velocity , excitedly emits a , total energy of the atom is

However just at the moment of emission, E_atom_p.e.png loses an amount of energy such that

atom_p.e._energy_loss.png

where the moving atom experiences a recoil and acquires a new velocity and is the atom's natural oscillating frequency when observed at rest and the observer staying right at the reference frame of the atom source.

Furthermore,

The Law of Energy Conservation Dictates:

The Components of Linear Momentum: From the above emission diagram, we can now deconstruct the following x, y - components of linear momentum in this following traditional

manner:

Hence, the difference between and frequencies is wholly determined by the compression factor

which for gives and for which this compression factor for straight - line observation easily reduces down to

note: relative velocity is taken to be negative when the atom source is relatively moving away from the observer in stationary system S; otherwise, relative velocity is taken as a positive. This is extremely important when considering these equations!!

Red - Shift vs. Blue - Shift Wave Frequencies: Notice that when the relative velocity of the oscillating atom source for increasingly moves away from the stationary observer in system S at greater and greater amounts of , the observed frequency decreases with a concomitant increase in observed wavelength for . That is,

Conversely, for an oscillating atom source for moving towards a stationary observer in S system

The ratio

is what produces the Doppler Effect for our source atom emitting !

In the non - relativistic limit where v << c,

Johann Christian Andreas Doppler ( born Salzburg, Austria, 1803 - died Venice, Italy 1853 ) is the Austrian mathematician and physicist after whom this observed wave - frequency shift is named; ironically it was as a result of the 1866 Seven - Weeks War that "shifted" Johann Doppler's grave site from Austria to Italy.

Applying Relativistic Analysis to our Oscillating Atom: We know from special relativity mathematics and Lorentz time dilation in the rate of observed passage of time that the observed frequency to an observer in system S becomes

∗See: special relativity - time dilation

Notice here, again, that for a receding atom source where receding velocity is taken as ,

Finally, for

and in terms of energy

Straight - Line Observing Oscillating Photon - Emitting Atom: That is, take up another perspective in stationary system S so that the atom source for lies strictly along x - axis and hence implying .

This then simplifies our equation for observed frequency

Notice also that for

if velocity is taken as where the object is approaching, therefore

Some Further Mathematical Manipulation for Straight - Line Observation of Atom Emitting Photon:

Also,

Atomic Pair Production: We know from an earlier Lorentz transformation that momentum, mass and energy are related as follows:

That is, momentum and mass transform from one system S into another system S' according to the Lorentz transformation equations and the relativistic addition of velocities. Hence,

In the extreme case of , the atom source for no longer exists - i.e., it goes to zero and disappears!

For the other extreme situation where is extremely large but not at , becomes infinitely small as can also be seen from the inverse relation

but yet the numerator

never quite goes to zero.

Of course we know that

so we should not be surprised that

On the other hand, we have seen that becomes extremely small whenever is extremely large but not at , however there surely must be a lower limit for when hits an atomic nucleus and thereby produces an elementary particle and its anti - particle!

That is, atomic pair production occurs whenever a hits an atomic nucleus and an elementary particle and its anti - particle - usually an electron and a positron - are created. For an electron - positron pair production to occur, the law of conservation of energy requires that the energy of , , be greater than the combined energies of the electron and positron. Or,

In any event, an oscillating atomic nucleus is required for any pair production to occur where any lost p.e. ( potential energy ) within the nucleus due to impact creates a compensating anti - particle; hence, the laws of conservation of momentum and energy are maintained.

Paul Dirac ( 1902 - 1984 ), British theoretical physicist and founder of modern quantum physics, produced his famous Dirac equation in 1928 which predicted atomic pair production and hence the existence of such anti - particles as the positron for which Carl David Anderson ( 1905 - 1991 ), American physicist and son of Swedish immigrants, together with Victor Hess ( 1883 - 1964 , Austrian - American physicist, won the Nobel Prize in physics in 1936 after having confirmed its existence during one night in 1932. Paul Dirac also shared the 1933 Nobel Physics Prize with Erwin Schrödinger ( 1887 - 1961 ), Austrian - Irish physicist, for their joint contribution in atomic theoretical physics, especially the Schrödinger equation. Paul Dirac was an avowed atheist. Erwin Schrodinger, a born Catholic, nevertheless escaped Nazi Germany because of his opposition to German anti - Semitism and persecution of Jews and therefore finally fled with his wife in the summer of 1933 to South Tyrol, Italy. Later in 1940 Schrödinger helped establish the Institute for Advanced Studies in Physics, Dublin, Ireland, in which country he eventually adopted Irish citizenship.

Finally, in some sense therefore, we have come full circle to the beginning of our schema of a moving atom source for the emission.

Astronomical Doppler Effect

Doppler Effect: Up until now our perspective has been from the point of view of an oscillating atom as the source of the light - emitting ; however, each and every one of the previous equations can be almost transferred whole to the macro universe. That is, receding and approaching bodies and galaxies, each by themselves, define a self - contained inertial frame of reference.

Of course, in the macro world we have the famous example of an approaching and then receding train whistle, where for one person standing alongside the tracks the whistle pitch rises and then falls as the train first approaches and then passes. However, for any person riding onboard the train, the frequency or pitch of the train's whistle remains constant throughout. This ratio, therefore,

is the Doppler factor giving a mathematical expression to the Doppler Effect.

Earth as a Platform for Astronomical Observations:

Because of earth's motion about the relatively stationary sun, all telescopes on "platform earth" must be constantly adjusted in terms of a deflection angle when pointing at a given [ relatively ] fixed star or galaxy. That is, as earth moves with relative velocity about [ relatively ] stationary sun, any telescope on "platform earth" must not point to the true star or galaxy position but rather must point to a position in the night sky which is displaced in the direction of earth's velocity ; and, notwithstanding our intuitive emotional feeling that earth is standing still, we must start to consider everything in this analysis from the point of view of [ relatively ] stationary sun owing to the Copernican Revolution ( Polish: Mikolaj Kopernik, 1473 - 1543 ) for the heliocentric model of our solar system.

Abstract #1

We now need to re - visit the equations for the relativistic addition of velocities as follows:

From the perspective of [ relatively ] stationary system S, sun, we thus have

On the other hand, from the perspective of [ relatively ] moving system S', earth, we have

since we are observing the path of starlight just within earth's x - y plane.

Aberration Constant:

That is, the angle of deflection and hence the amount of relativistic aberration of light is determined by the angle of incoming starlight into the telescope and the relative motion between the sun's stationary frame of reference and earth's relatively moving frame of reference as can be seen in the above Abstract #1.

Placing Ourselves in the Sun's Frame of Reference for Earth's Relative Motion:

So, if we're standing in the frame of reference of [ relatively ] stationary sun, the path of starlight in the x - y plane is given by

However with respect to the moving frame of reference of earth, we must employ Lorentz inverse transformation equations as follows:

Angle of Deflection: In fact

where is the angle of deflection for relativistic aberration of starlight which must be maintained for any telescope on "platform sun" pointing at a [ relatively ] fixed star or galaxy throughout earth's traverse about the [ relatively ] fixed sun!

What we further see is that

Relativistic Transversal Aberration on Platform Earth:

That is, is the angle of deflection for relativistic transversal aberration of starlight that must be maintained for any telescope on "platform earth" pointing at a [ relatively ] fixed star or galaxy throughout earth's traverse about the [ relatively ] fixed sun!

Reformulated Doppler Equations: Therefore, the reformulated Doppler equations incorporating relativistic aberration for starlight are

Relativistic Red - Shift: Relativistic red - shift z can now be determined as follows:

For "line of sight" relative motion, and hence

And, simplified

Using Relativistic Red - Shift to Determine Velocity and Time: Relativistic red - shift z can now be utilized to estimate velocity of a receding galaxy and the time it took to arrive at its present position relative to earth's solar system.

Some Astronomical Spectral Lines ( Fraunhofer lines )
Line Designation	Due to element	Wavelength ( Å )^[a]	Wavelength ( nm )^[b]	Line Designation	Due to element	Wavelength ( Å) ^[a]	Wavelength ( nm )^[b]
A band	O₂	7593.70	759.370	L	Fe	3820.44	382.044
B band	O₂	6867.19	686.719	N	Fe	3581.21	358.121
C (H-alpha)	H	6562.81	656.281	P	Ti⁺	3361.12	336.112
a band	O₂	6276.61	627.661	T	Fe	3021.08	302.108
D1	Na	5895.92	589.592	t	Ni	2994.44	299.444
D2	Na	5889.95	588.995	e	Hg	5460.73	546.073
E₂	Fe	5270.39	527.039	e	Fe	4383.55	438.355
F (H-beta)	H	4861.34	486.134	b₁	Mg	5183.62	518.362
G	Fe	4307.90	430.790	b₂	Mg	5172.70	517.270
G	Ca	4307.74	430.774	b₃	Fe	5168.91	516.891
H	Ca⁺	3968.47	396.847	b₄	Fe	5168.91	516.891
K	Ca⁺	3933.68	393.368	b₄	Mg	5167.33	516.733
^a 1 Angstrom = 1x10^-10 meter = 0.1 nanometer ^b 1 nanometer = 1x10^-9 meter = 10.0 Angstrom

For example, Andromeda X [ satellite galaxy of Andromeda (M31) ] has been determined to lie at a distance of 2.9 M ly from the center of earth's solar system which would naturally be the sun. Two of the most prominent spectral lines are the H and K for ionized calcium. Choosing spectral K where its rest frequency is inverse to its rest wavelength provides the following:

We have = 393.368 nm for the observed lab rest - wavelength for spectral K. Let's say, hypothetically, that for this receding Andromeda X satellite galaxy = 395.018, the observed wavelength by means of astronomical spectroscopy for element Ca⁺. Therefore for "line of sight" relative motion [ see above ],

Relativistic Transversal Doppler Effect in Terms of Energy:

Analogous to Lorentz inverse transformation equations

Now,

Also, since

Hubble's Law and the recession expansion of the universe: Hubble's Law is stated as follows with profound philosophical consequences:

Therefore at the very edge of the known universe, the cosmic horizon is expanding at virtually the speed of light beyond which nothing is visible:

What Hubble's Law is demonstrating is that at the cosmic horizon, the entire edge of the known universe is disappearing! Our universe is literally evaporating into ( non - visible ) energy!! This fact is due no less than to Einstein's total energy and mass dilation equation

Cosmological Consequence

Cosmological Consequence: One cosmological and perhaps philosophical consequence of these equations is how as the universe inexorably expands outwards at ever unimaginable velocities, that for some future intelligent cosmologists the night sky goes completely dark in The Big Freeze.

Here is the essential cosmological paradox: any future observer of the universe will observe a shrinking amount of the universe since it takes more and more time for the distance edges of light to reach an observer's eye in an ever more greatly accelerating and expanding fabric of space - time universe!! In other words, any future observer of the sky's universe will see less and less of an ever more expanding universe!

One main reason is because the wavelength of whatever light is received from the farthest edges of the cosmos ( the cosmic horizon at about 13.7 billion ≈ 14 billion light - years distance from earth ) will exceed the diameter of the observed universe. And, since it will be impossible to ever build a large enough telescope to receive an infinite wavelength of such light due to Doppler Effect and extremely attenuated energy and frequency of this light, it will, by any sort of cosmological mathematics, be impossible to see such light!!

Hence, the light goes out in the known observable universe for any sentient intelligent observer still alive in approximately 1 trillion earth - years, plus or minus another 100 million earth - years!!

In this situation also, the observed universe, if such a thing is even possible, will be flat since all observed wavelengths of whatever electromagnetic propagation will equivalently be observed as being essentially non - sinusoidal or flat. Just simply imagine looking at a drawn - out string without any crest - to - crest wavelength due to extreme Doppler or redshift and hence no frequency; this, then, will be whatever "light" reaches an observer's eye or telescope -- neither the observer's eye nor his telescope will see anything due to infinite wavelength and extreme Doppler or redshift!

Additionally, any intervening ionized interstellar dust or gases will bounce any incoming electromagnetic propagation of extremely low energy content ( light, x - ray, whatever ) away from an observer's eye or telescope similar as to how presently earth's Ionosphere bounces AM radio waves back to earth at much longer distances than otherwise straight - line distances on earth would allow.

In other words, all observers and their telescopes would be "seeing" and "living" from within a black hole: an inside - out black hole!!

Finally, because there will be no stellar objects to see with everything having gone black for both "night and day", there will be no need for the human mind to create an accounting for the motion of bodies, which is precisely what time is ! In fact, distance and velocity will no longer be calculated since these mathematical quantities will no longer be required in this eventual and ultimate world of physics.

The mathematics of Doppler, the law of energy conservation, Hubble's equation and the inexorable expansion of the universe dictate this ultimate fate.

And there is absolutely no escaping this ultimate cosmological fate!!

It's called The Big Freeze.

Parallel Universes: See: Michio Kaku, Max Tegmark and Hugh Everett for articles giving cosmological reasoning for the existence of parallel universes.

Conclusion: The relativistic aberration of starlight only predicts a slight change in frequency depending upon the velocity of the approaching or separating star or galaxy whereas the speed of light forever remains unalterably constant!

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