Abstract
Two problems have long been confused with each other: the gravitational redshift as discussed by the equivalence principle; and the Doppler shift observed by a detector which moves with constant proper acceleration away from a stationary source. We here distinguish these two problems and give for the first time a solution of the former which is ‘exact’ within the context of the equivalence principle in a sense discussed in the paper. The equivalence principle leads to transformations between flat spacetimes. These are analyzed, and a generalized Lorentz transformation is proposed which covers transformations from inertial to uniformly accelerated frames of reference.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
N. T. Bishop and P. T. Landsberg,Nature 252, 459 (1974).
C. W. Misner, K. S. Thorne and J. A. Wheeler,Gravitation, Freeman, San Francisco (1973).
H. E. Price,Am. J. Phys. 42, 336 (1974).
W. Rindler,Essential Relativity, van Nostrand, New York (1969), pp. 21, 26.
J. L. Synge,Relativity: The General Theory, North-Holland, Amsterdam (1960), p. x.
C. Brans and R. H. Dicke,Phys. Rev. 124, 925 (1961).
P. Jordan,Z. Phys. 157, 112 (1959).
F. Hoyle,Proc. Roy. Soc. A 273, 1 (1963).
G. Nordström,Ann. Phys. 42, 33 (1913).
H. J. Treder ed.,Gravitationstheorie und Äquivalenz Prinzip, Akademie Verlag, Berlin (1971).
F. Rohrlich,Ann. Phys. (N.Y.)22, 169 (1963).
W. Pauli,Enzyklopädie der math. Wissenschaften V19 Teubner, Leipzig (1921), pp. 539–775.
H. P. Robertson and T. W. Noonan,Relativity and Cosmology, Saunders, Philadelphia (1969), p. 112.
V. A. Fock,The Theory of Space, Time and Gravitation, 2nd ed. Pergamon, New York (1964).
H. Lass,Am. J. Phys. 31, 274 (1963).
J. E. Romain,Am. J. Phys. 32, 279 (1964).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Landsberg, P.T., Bishop, N.T. Gravitational redshift and the equivalence principle. Found Phys 6, 727–737 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00708951
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00708951