Maxwell Relativity

The main feature of this book is the emphasis on "practice". This approach, unusual in the relativistic literature, may be clarified by quoting some problems discussed in the text: - the analysis of rocket acceleration to relativistic velocities - the influence of gravitational fields on the accuracy of time measurements - the operation of optical rotation sensors - the evaluation of the Doppler spectrum produced by the linear (or ro- tional) motion of an antenna or scatterer - the use of the Cerenkov effect in the design of millimeter-wave power generators - the influence of the motion of a plasma on the transmission of electrom- netic waves through this medium. A correct solution of these (and analogous) problems requires the use of re­ lativistic principles.

This book takes the reader from the preliminary ideas of the Special Theory of Relativity (STR) to the doorsteps of the General Theory of Relativity (GTR).The first part explains the main concepts in a layman's language, including STR, the Lorentz transformation, relativistic mechanics.

This book is intended to engage the students in the elegance of electrodynamics and special relativity, whilst giving them the tools to begin graduate study. Here, from the basis of experiment, the authors first derive the Maxwell equations and special relativity. Introducing the mathematical framework of generalized tensors, the laws of mechanics, Lorentz force and the Maxwell equations are then cast in manifestly covariant form.

The aim of this work is to study the principles upon which the classical and relativistic theories of the electromagnetic and gravitational fields are based. Thus, the primary object of the book is to present a simple exposition of Maxwell's theory, of General Relativity and of the link between those two concepts, namely, Special Relativity. In the nineteenth century the notion of a continuous field gradually replaced the idea of action at a distance. The electromagnetic theory that was elaborated at that time covers a very large area of Physics, since it makes possible the description of permanent phenomena, electrostatics and magnetostatics, as well as of variable phenomena. It anticipates the existence of waves, and thereby the theory of light is annexed to this vast domain.