Dedicated to the centennial anniversary of Minkowski's discovery of spacetime, this volume contains papers, most presented at the Third International Conference on the Nature and Ontology of Spacetime, that address some of the deepest questions in physics. </p[The volume contains selected papers by physicists and philosophers, most of which were presented at the Third International Conference on the Nature and Ontology of Spacetime. The Third International Conference on the Nature and Ontology of Spacetime (http://www.spacetimesociety.org/conferences/2008/) held at Concordia University, Montreal, on June 13-15, 2008 was dedicated to the centennial anniversary of Minkowski's talk]

lgli/K:/_add/3/kolxoz/Petkov V. (ed.) Space, time, and spacetime.. Physical and philosophical implications of Minkowski s unification of space and time (FTP167, Springer, 2010)(ISBN 9783642135378)(O)(328s)_PCft_.pdf

lgrsnf/K:/_add/3/kolxoz/Petkov V. (ed.) Space, time, and spacetime.. Physical and philosophical implications of Minkowski s unification of space and time (FTP167, Springer, 2010)(ISBN 9783642135378)(O)(328s)_PCft_.pdf

lgli/P_Physics/PC_Classical physics/PCstr_Special relativity/Petkov V. (ed.) Space, time, and spacetime.. Physical and philosophical implications of Minkowski's unification of space and time (FTP167, Springer, 2010)(ISBN 9783642135378)(O)(328s)_PCft_.pdf

nexusstc/Space, Time, and Spacetime/c70a3987236ed67ab6bad4e4813f3e43.pdf

scihub/10.1007/978-3-642-13538-5.pdf

zlib/Science (General)/Petkov, Vesselin (ed.)/Space, Time, and Spacetime: Physical and Philosophical Implications of Minkowski’s Unification of Space and Time_2836643.pdf

Space, Time, and Spacetime: Physical and Philosophical Implications of Minkowski's Unification of Space and Time (Fundamental Theories of Physics Book 167)

Vesselin Petkov; International Conference on the Nature and Ontology of Spacetime

[edited by] Vesselin Petkov

Petkov, Vesselin (ed.)

Spektrum Akademischer Verlag. in Springer-Verlag GmbH

Steinkopff. in Springer-Verlag GmbH

Springer Verlag

Fundamental Theories of Physics, Berlin, Heidelberg, 2010

Springer Nature, Berlin, 2010

1st edition, FR, 2010

Germany, Germany

0

sm20820099

producers:
iTextSharp 5.1.3 (c) 1T3XT BVBA

{"edition":"1","isbns":["3642135374","3642135382","9783642135378","9783642135385"],"last_page":314,"publisher":"Springer","series":"Fundamental Theories of Physics 167"}

Includes bibliographic references and index.

Title 4
Copyright 5
Preface 6
Contents 10
Contributors 12
Part I Minkowski's Representation of Special Relativity – Examples of Its Impact on the Twentieth Century Physics 15
The Minkowskian Background of Whitehead's Theory of Gravitation 17
1 Introduction 17
2 Why Whitehead Was Interested in Special Relativity 18
3 Cunningham 20
4 Silberstein and the Aristotelian Society 21
5 Minkowski's 1908 Papers 22
6 The Search for a Relativistic Theory of Gravitation 23
7 Eddington and de Sitter 26
8 Whitehead's Enquiry 29
9 Silberstein's 1918 Paper 31
10 The 1919 Solar Eclipse 32
11 Whitehead's Alternative Theory of Gravitation 34
References 36
The Experimental Verdict on Spacetime from Gravity Probe B 39
1 Space and Time Before Minkowski 39
2 Spacetime After Minkowski 44
3 Minkowski's Legacy in Higher Dimensions 47
4 Experimental Tests: An Unfinished Job 51
5 The Geodetic and Frame-Dragging Effects 57
6 Gravity Probe B 64
7 Summary 70
References 71
Rigidity and the Ruler Hypothesis 75
1 Rigid Rods and Rigid Spheres 75
1.1 A Toy Electron 75
1.2 A Rigid Rod 78
1.3 Equation of Motion for Points on the Rod 80
1.4 A Frame for an Accelerating Observer 80
1.5 Lengths Measured by the Rigid Rod 85
1.6 Properties of a Semi-Euclidean Frame 86
1.7 Behaviour of a Rigid Rod 87
1.8 Rigid Spheres and Instantaneous Transmission of Motion 90
1.9 Rigid Electrons and Rigid Atoms 94
1.10 A Note on the Pound–Rebka Experiment 96
2 Rigid Motion 101
2.1 General Motion of a Continuous Medium 102
2.2 Rigid Motion of a Continuous Medium 103
2.3 Rate of Strain Tensor 104
2.4 Examples of Rigid Motion 107
2.5 Rigid Motion Without Rotation 109
2.6 Rigid Rotation 112
2.7 Rigid Motion in Schwarzschild Spacetime 115
3 Conclusion 118
References 119
Minkowski Space and Quantum Mechanics 121
1 Introduction 121
2 Metrics and the Dirac Equation 122
2.1 General Formalism 123
2.2 A Gauge Approach to Mass 125
2.3 A Theorem 126
2.4 Covariance 127
3 Quantum and Classical Mechanics 128
3.1 Wave Equation of a Massless Particle 129
3.2 Quantum Mechanics and Hilbert Space 131
3.3 Classical Mechanics 133
4 Non-Geodesic Motion 135
4.1 Methodological Unification 136
4.2 The Hydrogen Atom 139
5 Conclusion 140
References 141
Relativity and Quantum Field Theory 143
1 Introduction 143
2 NQFTs and Particles 144
2.1 Classical Spacetimes vs. Minkowski Spacetime 144
2.2 Particle Interpretations 146
2.2.1 Particles in RQFTs? 147
2.2.2 Particles in NQFTs? 149
3 Newtonian Quantum Gravity 151
4 Intertheoretic Relations 154
5 Conclusion 159
References 159
Ether, the Theory of Relativity and Quantum Physics 161
1 Introduction 161
2 The Afshar Experiment 163
3 Consequences of the Afshar Experiment 165
4 Properties of the Wave Aspect of a Photon 166
5 Einstein's New Ether and Final Remarks 167
References 168
Part II Implications of Minkowski's Ideas for the Philosophy of Space and Time 171
Minkowski's Proper Time and the Status of the Clock Hypothesis 173
1 Proper Time, Local Time and Proper Length 174
2 Acceleration and Appeals to General Relativity 177
3 Acceleration and the Clock Hypothesis 179
4 Conclusion 191
References 192
Why Spacetime Is Not a Hidden Cause: A Realist Story 195
1 Introduction 195
2 Cause and Classical Inertial Motion 196
3 GR Space, Time and Spacetime 198
3.1 Free Fall in a Purely Gravitational Field 199
3.2 Light Bending 201
4 About Matter 201
5 A Parody of `Hidden Cause' 202
6 Conclusion 204
References 204
Structural Explanations in Minkowski Spacetime: Which Account of Models? 207
1 Introduction: Contractions, Dilation and Structural Explanations 207
2 The Debate on Models: The State of the Art 213
3 Minkowski's Model and Structural Explanations 216
4 Conclusion 219
References 220
Relativity of Simultaneity and Eternalism: In Defense of the Block Universe 223
1 Introduction 223
2 The Argument from the Relativity of Simultaneity 225
2.1 General Outline and Definition of Terms 225
2.2 RoS Argument8 228
3 Presentist Points of Contention 230
3.1 Deflationary Objections: No Presentist/Eternalist Distinction 230
3.2 Compatibilist and Incompatibilist Objections 231
4 Response to Objections 232
4.1 Defining Terms: Establishing a Presentist/Eternalist Distinction 232
4.2 The Transitivity of Reality 237
4.3 Against the Point Presentist 238
4.4 Preferred Foliations in Space-Time 241
4.5 The Spatial Presentist: Absurdity in Incompatibilist Presentism? 243
5 Conclusion 245
6 Appendix A: Against the Dynamical Interpretation of Special Relativity 245
7 Appendix B: Objection to RoS Argument by Meta-Time 247
8 Appendix C: A ``God's Eye'' View of Space-Time on Different Theories of Time 249
References 250
Minkowski Space-Time and Thermodynamics 253
1 Introduction: Geometric and Axiomatic Approaches 253
2 Axiomatic Approaches to Space-Time 254
2.1 Robb's Account 255
2.2 Carathéodory 257
3 Towards Dynamics 259
3.1 Dynamic Aspects 259
3.2 Provisos 259
3.3 Inferences to the Nature Space-Time 261
4 Irreversibility, Regularity and Invariance 262
4.1 Reichenbach & Grünbaum 262
4.2 Time & Invariance 265
5 Conclusion 267
References 269
No Presentism in Quantum Gravity 271
1 Introduction 271
2 Minkowski Spacetime and the Pressure from Special Relativity 273
3 Monton's Incompatibilist Defence of Presentism 279
4 The CMC Foliation Approach: A New Homefor Presentism? 284
5 Conclusion 289
References 291
Part III The Impact of Minkowski's Ideas Beyond the Philosophy of Space and Time 294
Space-Time, Phenomenology, and the Picture Theory of Language 295
References 304
The Fate of Mathematical Place: Objectivity and the Theory of Lived-Space from Husserl to Casey 305
1 Introduction 305
2 The Place Theory and the Subjective/Objective Dichotomy 306
2.1 Radical Spatial Subjectivism 306
2.2 Internal and External Constraints 308
2.3 Physical Space and Merleau-Ponty's Metric Conventionalism 308
3 The Place Theory and The Mathematization of Space 311
3.1 Husserl and the Early Phenomenological Influence 312
3.2 Contemporary Social Trends 314
4 Towards a Mathematical Conception of Subjective Space 316
4.1 Geometry and the Subjective 316
4.2 The Problem of Quantifying the Qualitative 319
5 A Concluding Case Study: Deleuze on Differential Geometry 322
References 324
Index 327
9783642135378,3642135374

Front Matter....Pages i-xii
Front Matter....Pages 1-1
The Minkowskian Background of Whitehead’s Theory of Gravitation....Pages 3-24
The Experimental Verdict on Spacetime from Gravity Probe B....Pages 25-59
Rigidity and the Ruler Hypothesis....Pages 61-106
Minkowski Space and Quantum Mechanics....Pages 107-127
Relativity and Quantum Field Theory....Pages 129-146
Ether, the Theory of Relativity and Quantum Physics....Pages 147-155
Front Matter....Pages 157-157
Minkowski’s Proper Time and the Status of the Clock Hypothesis....Pages 159-179
Why Spacetime Is Not a Hidden Cause: A Realist Story....Pages 181-191
Structural Explanations in Minkowski Spacetime: Which Account of Models?....Pages 193-207
Relativity of Simultaneity and Eternalism: In Defense of the Block Universe....Pages 209-237
Minkowski Space-Time and Thermodynamics....Pages 239-256
No Presentism in Quantum Gravity....Pages 257-278
Front Matter....Pages 279-279
Space-Time, Phenomenology, and the Picture Theory of Language....Pages 281-290
The Fate of Mathematical Place: Objectivity and the Theory of Lived-Space from Husserl to Casey....Pages 291-311
Back Matter....Pages 313-314

This volume is dedicated to the centennial anniversary of Minkowski's discovery of spacetime. It contains selected papers by physicists and philosophers on the Nature and Ontology of Spacetime. The first six papers, comprising Part I of the book, provide examples of the impact of Minkowski's spacetime representation of special relativity on the twentieth century physics. Part II also contains six papers which deal with implications of Minkowski's ideas for the philosophy of space and time. The last part is represented by two papers which explore the influence of Minkowski's ideas beyond the philosophy of space and time.

2016-12-07