4-vectors

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4-vectors

Using index notation, the time and space coordinates can be combined into a single "4-vector" [math]\displaystyle{ x^{\mu},\ \mu=0,\ 1,\ 2,\ 3 }[/math], that has units of length, i.e. ct is a distance.

[math]\displaystyle{ \begin{bmatrix} x^0 \\ x^1 \\ x^2 \\ x^3 \end{bmatrix}= \begin{bmatrix} ct \\ x \\ y \\ z \end{bmatrix} }[/math]

We can express the space time interval using the index notation

[math]\displaystyle{ (ds)^2\equiv c^2 dt^{'2}-dx^{'2}-dy^{'2}-dz^{'2}= c^2 dt^{2}-dx^2-dy^2-dz^2 }[/math]

[math]\displaystyle{ (ds)^2\equiv (dx^0)^{'2}-(dx^1)^{'2}-(dx^2)^{'2}-(dx^3)^{'2}= (dx^0)^{2}-(dx^1)^2-(dx^2)^2-(dx^3)^2 }[/math]

Since [math]\displaystyle{ ds^2 }[/math] is nothing more than a dot product of a vector with itself, we should expect the components of the indices to follow a similar relationship.

[math]\displaystyle{ (ds)^2\equiv \begin{bmatrix} dx_0 & -dx_1 & -dx_2 & -dx_3 \end{bmatrix} \cdot \begin{bmatrix} dx^0 \\ dx^1 \\ dx^2 \\ dx^3 \end{bmatrix}= (dx^0)^{2}-(dx^1)^2-(dx^2)^2-(dx^3)^2=(dx^0)^{'2}-(dx^1)^{'2}-(dx^2)^{'2}-(dx^3)^{'2} }[/math]

Using the Lorentz transformations and the index notation,

[math]\displaystyle{ \begin{cases} t'=\gamma (t-vz/c^2) \\ x'=x' \\ y'=y' \\ z'=\gamma (z-vt) \end{cases} }[/math]

[math]\displaystyle{ \begin{bmatrix} x'^0 \\ x'^1 \\ x'^2\\ x'^3 \end{bmatrix}= \begin{bmatrix} \gamma (x^0-vx^3/c) \\ x^1 \\ x^2 \\ \gamma (x^3-vx^0) \end{bmatrix} = \begin{bmatrix} \gamma (x^0-\beta x^3) \\ x^1 \\ x^2 \\ \gamma (x^3-vx^0) \end{bmatrix} }[/math]

Where [math]\displaystyle{ \beta \equiv \frac{v}{c} }[/math]

This can be expressed in matrix form as

[math]\displaystyle{ \begin{bmatrix} x'^0 \\ x'^1 \\ x'^2\\ x'^3 \end{bmatrix}= \begin{bmatrix} \gamma & 0 & 0 & -\gamma \beta \\ 0 & 1 & 0 & 0 \\ 0 & 0 & 1 & 0 \\ -\gamma \beta & 0 & 0 & \gamma \end{bmatrix} \cdot \begin{bmatrix} x^0 \\ x^1 \\ x^2 \\ x^3 \end{bmatrix} }[/math]

Letting the indices run from 0 to 3, we can write

[math]\displaystyle{ x'^{\mu}=\sum_{\nu=0}^3 (\Lambda_{\nu}^{\mu})x^{\nu} }[/math]

Where [math]\displaystyle{ \Lambda }[/math] is the Lorentz transformation matrix for motion in the z direction.

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