what is called the theory Ref. 9 of special relativity.

Can one play tennis using a laser pulse as the ball and mirrors as rackets?

Et nihil est celerius annis.* Ovid, Metamorphoses.

We all know that in order to throw a stone as far as possible, we run as we throw it; we know instinctively that in that case the stones speed with respect to the ground is higher than if we do not run. However, to the initial astonishment of everybody, experiments show that light emitted from a moving lamp has the same speed as light emitted from a resting one. The simplest way to prove this is to look at the sky. The sky shows many examples of double stars: these are two stars that rotate around each other along ellipses. In some of these systems,we see the ellipses (almost) edge-on, so that each star periodically moves towards and away from us. If the speed of light would vary with the speed of the source, we would see bizarre effects, because the light emitted from some positions would catch up the light emitted from other positions. In particular, we would not be able to see the elliptical shape of the orbits. However, bizarre effects are not seen, and the ellipses are observed. Willem de Sitter gave this beautiful argument already in 1913; he Ref. 10 confirmed the validity with a large number of double stars. In other words, light (in vacuum) is never faster than light; all light beams have the same speed. Many specially designed experiments have confirmed this result to high Ref. 11 precision.The speed of light can be measured with a precision of better than 1m/s; but even for lamp speeds of more than 290 000 000m/s the speed of the emitted light does Challenge 12 s not change. (Can you guess what lamps were used?) In everyday life, we also know that a stone arrives more rapidly if we run towards it than in the case that we stand still or even run away from it. But astonishingly again, for light no such effect exists! All experiments clearly show that if we run towards a lamp, we measure the same speed of light as in the case that we stand still or even run away Ref. 12 from it. Also these experiments have been performed to the highest precision possible. All experiments thus showthat the velocity of light has the same value for all observers, even if they aremoving with respect to each other or with respect to the light source.The speed of light is indeed the ideal, perfect measurement standard.** Ref. 15 There is also a second set of experimental evidence for the constancy, or better, the invariance of the speed of light. Every electromagnetic device, such as an electric vacuum
* Nothing is faster than the years. Book X, verse 520. ** An equivalent alternative term for the speed of light is radar speed or radio speed; we will see later why Vol. III, page 101 this is the case. The speed of light is also not far from the speed of neutrinos.This was shown most spectacularly by the observation of a supernova in 1987, when the light flash and the neutrino pulse arrived on Earth only 12 seconds apart. (It is not known whether the difference is due to speed differences or to a different starting point of the two flashes.)What would be the first digit for which the two speed values could differ, knowing Challenge 13 s that the supernova was 1.7 105 light years away, and assuming the same starting point? Experiments also show that the speed of light is the same in all directions of space, to at least 21 dig Ref. 13 its of precision. Other data, taken from gamma ray bursts, show that the speed of light is independent of Ref. 14 frequency to at least 20 digits of precision.
Motion Mountain The Adventure of Physics pdf file available free of charge at www.motionmountain.net Copyright Christoph Schiller June 1990 May 2013

22speed of light is invariant. We will discover that magnetic fields

would not result from electric currents, as they do every day in every electric motor and in every loudspeaker, if the speed of light were not invariant.This was actually how the invariance was first deduced, by several researchers. Only after these results did the GermanSwiss physicist Albert Einstein show that the invariance of the speed of light is

also in agreement with the observed motion of bodies. We will check this agreement in Ref. 16 this chapter.The connection between relativity and electric vacuum cleaners, as well as Vol. III, page 47 other machines, will be explored in the chapters on electrodynamics. The main connection between light andmotion of bodies can be stated in a few words. If the speed of light were not invariant, observers would be able to move at the speed of light. Why? Since light is a wave, an observer moving at the same speed as the wave would see a frozen wave. However, electromagnetism forbids such a phenomenon. Therefore, observers cannot reach the speed of light. The speed of light is thus a limit speed. Observers and bodies thus always move slower than light.Therefore, light is also an invariant speed. In other words, tennis with light is not fun: the speed of light is always the same. Challenge 14 s By the way, is it possible at all to play tennis withmotion of light 23 Albert Einstein Albert Einstein (b. 1879 Ulm, d. 1955 Princeton) was one of the greatest physicists and of the greatest thinkers ever. (The s in his name is pronounced sh.) In 1905, he published three important papers: one about Brownian motion, one about special relativity, and one about the idea of light quanta. The first paper showed definitely thatmatter is made of molecules and atoms; the second showed the invariance of the speed of light; and the third paper was one of the starting points of quantum theory. Each paper was worth a Nobel Prize, but he was awarded the prize only for the last one. Also in 1905, he proved the famous formula E0 = c2m (published in early 1906), after a few others also had proPage 70 posed it. Although Einstein was one of the founders of quantum theory, he later turned against it. His famous discussions with his friend Niels Bohr nevertheless helped to clarify the field in itsmost counter-intuitive aspects. He also explained the Einsteinde Haas effect which proves that magnetism is due to motion inside materials. After many other discoveries, in 1915 and 1916 he published his highest achievement: the general theory of Page 126 relativity, one of the most beautiful and remarkable works of science. Being Jewish and famous, Einstein was a favourite target of attacks and discrimination by theNational Socialist movement; therefore, in 1933 he emigrated fromGermany to the USA; since that time, he stopped contact with Germans, except for a few friends, among them Max Planck. Until his death, Einstein kept his Swiss passport. He was not only a Ref. 17 great physicist, but also a great thinker; his collection of thoughts about topics outside physics are well worth reading. His family life was disastrous, and he made each of his family members unhappy. Anyone interested in emulating Einstein should know first of all that he published many papers. He was ambitious and hard-working. Moreover, many of his papers were wrong; he would then correct them in subsequent papers, and then do so again. This happened so frequently that hemade fun of himself about it. Einstein indeed realized the well-known definition of a genius as a person who makes the largest possible number of mistakes in the shortest possible time. An invariant limit speed and its consequences Experiments and theory show that observers cannot reach the speed of light. Equivalently, no object can reach the speed of light. In other words, not only is light the standard of speed; it is also the maximum speed in nature. More precisely, the velocity of any physical system in nature (i.e., any localized mass or energy) is bound by c. (3) This relation is the basis of special relativity; in fact, the complete theory of special relativity is contained in it. An invariant limit speed is not as surprising at we might think. We need such an Page 96 invariant in order be able to measure speeds. Nevertheless, an invariantmaximum speed

implies many fascinating results: it leads to observer-varying time and length intervals, to an intimate relation between mass and energy, to the existence of event horizons and to the existence of antimatter, as we will see.
Motion Mountain The Adventure of Physics pdf file available free of charge at www.motionmountain.net Copyright Christoph Schiller June 1990 May 2013

24 1 maximum speed, observers at rest, and

TABLE 2 How to convince yourself and others that there is a maximum

speed c in nature. Compare this table with the table about maximum force, on page 100 below, and with the table about a smallest action, on page 18 in volume IV.

I s s u e Te s t Me t h o d The energy speed value c is observer-invariant check all observations Local energy speed values > c are not observed check all observations Observed speed values > c are either non-local or not due to energy transport check all observations Local energy speed values > c cannot be produced check all attempts Local energy speed values > c cannot be imagined solve all paradoxes A maximum local energy speed value c is consistent 1 check that all consequences, however weird, are confirmed by observation 2 deduce the theory of special relativity from it and check it

Already in 1895, Henri Poincare* called the discussion of viewpoint invariance the theory of relativity, and the name was common in 1905. Einstein regretted that the theory was called this way; he would have preferred the name Invarianztheorie or theory of invariance, but was Ref. 18 not able to change the name any more. Thus Einstein called the Ref. 15 description of motion without gravity the theory of special relativity, and the description of motion with gravity the theory of general relativity. Both fields are full of fascinating and counter-intuitive results.** Can an invariant limit speed exist in nature? Table 2 shows that we need to explore three points to accept the idea. We need to show that first, no higher speed is observed, secondly, that no higher energy speed can ever be observed, and thirdly, that all consequences of the invariance of the speed of light, however weird they may be, apply to nature. In fact, this programme defines the theory of special relativity; thus it is all we do in the remaining of this chapter. The invariance of the speed of light is in complete contrast with Galilean mechanics, which describes the behaviour of stones, and proves that Galilean mechanics is wrong at high velocities.At low velocities theGalilean description remains good, because the error
* Henri Poincar (18541912), important Frenchmathematician and physicist. Poincar was one of themost productive men of his time, advancing relativity, quantum theory, and many parts of mathematics.

Ref. 19 ** Among the most beautiful introductions to relativity are still those given by Albert Einstein himself. It

has taken almost a century for books almost as beautiful to appear, such as the texts by Schwinger or by Ref. 20, Ref. 21 Taylor andWheeler.
Motion Mountain The Adventure of Physics pdf file available free of charge at www.motionmountain.net Copyright Christoph Schiller June 1990 May 2013

motion of light 25

is small. But if we want a description valid at all velocities, we have to discard Galilean mechanics. For example, when we play tennis, by hitting the ball in the right way, we can increase or decrease its speed. But with light this is impossible. Even if we mount a mirror on an aeroplane and reflect a light beam with it, the light still moves away with the same speed. All experiments confirm this weird behaviour of light. If we accelerate a bus that we are driving, the cars on the other side of the road pass by with higher and higher speeds. For light, experiment shows that this is not so: light always passes by with the same speed.* Light does not behave like cars or any othermatter object. Again, all experiments confirm this weird behaviour. Why exactly is the invariance of the speed of light almost unbelievable, even though the measurements show it unambiguously? Take two observers O and (pronounced omega) moving with relative velocity , such as two cars on opposite sides of the street. Imagine that at the moment they pass each other, a light flash is emitted by a lamp in O. The light flash moves through positions x(t) for observer O and through positions () (pronounced xi of tau) for . Since the speed of light is the same for both, we have

xt =c =
. (4) However, in the situation described, we obviously have x = . In other words, the invariance of the speed of light implies that t = , i.e., that time is different for observers moving relative Challenge 15 e to each other. Time is thus not unique.This surprising result, which has been conRef. 22 firmed by many experiments, was first stated clearly in 1905 by Albert Einstein.Though many others knew about the invariance of c, only the young Einstein had the courage to say that time is observer-dependent, One remark is in order. The speed of light is a limit speed. What is meant with this statement is that the speed of light in vacuum is a limit speed. Indeed, particles canmove faster than the speed of light in matter, as long as they move slower than the speed of light in vacuum. This situation is regularly observed. In solid or liquid matter, the speed of light is regularly two or three times lower than the speed of light in vacuum. For specialmaterials, the speed of light can be even lower: in Ref. 23 the centre of the Sun, the speed of light is estimated to be around 30 km/year = 1mm/s, and even in the laboratory, for some materials, the speed of light has been measured to Ref. 24 be as low as 0.3m/s. Vol. I, page 282 When an aeroplane moves faster than the speed of sound in air, it creates a coneshaped shock wave behind it.When a charged particlemoves faster that the speed of light in matter, it emits a cone of radiation, so-called Vaviloverenkov radiation. Vavilov erenkov radiation is regularly observed; for example, it is the cause of the blue glow of the water in nuclear reactors and it appears in transparent plastic crossed by fast particles, a connection used in detectors for accelerator experiments. In this and the following chapters, when we use the term speed of light, we mean the speed of light in vacuum. In fact, the speed of light in air is smaller than that in vacuum
* Indeed, even with the current measurement precision of 2 1013, we cannot discern any changes of the Ref. 13 speed of light for different speeds of the observer.
Motion Mountain The Adventure of Physics pdf file available free of charge at www.motionmountain.net Copyright Christoph Schiller June 1990 May 2013

26 1 maximum speed, observers at rest, and

second observer or clock first observer or clock
light

t1 = (k2 + 1)T/2 t2 = kT k2 T x t T O
FIGURE 10 A drawing containing most of special

relativity, including the expressions for time dilation and for the Lorentz transformation.

only by a fraction of one per cent, so that in most cases, the difference between air and vacuum can be neglected. Special relativity with a few lines The speed of light is invariant and constant for all observers. We can thus deduce all relations between what two different observers Ref. 25 measure with the help of Figure 10. It shows two observers moving with constant speed against each other, drawn in spacetime. The first is sending a light flash to the second, fromwhere it is reflected back to the first. Since the speed of light is invariant, light is the only way to compare time and space coordinates for two distant observers. Also two distant clocks (like two distant metre bars) can only be compared, or synchronized, using light or radio flashes. Since light speed is invariant, all light paths in the same direction are parallel in such diagrams. A constant relative speed between two observers implies that a constant factor k reChallenge 16 s lates the time coordinates of events. (Why is the relation linear?) If a flash starts at a time T as measured for the first observer, it arrives at the second at time kT, and then back Challenge 17 s again at the first at time k2T.The drawing shows that k = c + c or

c
= k2 1 k2 + 1 . (5) Page 28 This factor will appear again in the Doppler effect.* Figure 10 also shows that the first observer measures a time t1 for the event when the light is reflected; however, the second observer measures a different time t2 for the same
*The explanation of relativity using the factor k is often called k-calculus.
Motion Mountain The Adventure of Physics pdf file available free of charge at www.motionmountain.net Copyright Christoph Schiller June 1990 May 2013

motion