PX4513 Note 1

CW 2012 1/3
Advanced Modern Physics
1. Lorentz Transformation in Special Relativity

We start by re-deriving the Lorenz transformation in special relativity based on the
following 2 principles:

1. The principle of inertia
2. The constancy of the speed of light

Consider a free particle being observed by 2 inertial frames S and S' . According to
the principle of inertia, this particle has a constant velocity in each inertial frame.
Using vector notation, we have

t u r r + =
0
t' ' + ' = ' u r r
0
(1)

where r and u denote position and velocity vectors respectively, the subscript 0
denotes the position at 0 = t and the superscript prime (' ) denotes the association with
the inertial frame S' .

The fact that a straight line in frame S is also a straight line in frame S' requires that
the transformation between S and S' can be written in the matrix form:


(
(
(
(

=
(
(
(
(

'
'
'
'
z
y
x
t
L
z
y
x
t
(2)

Here L is a 4 4 matrix with elements depending only on the relative velocity
between S and S' .

To bring in the constancy of the speed of light, consider the free particle to be a
photon moving at the speed of light c which is the same in both S and S' .

For convenience let this photon start from the common origin of S and S' at
0 = ' = t t . Introducing the qualities


2 2 2 2 2
) , , , ( t c z y x z y x t I + + = (3)


2 2 2 2 2
) , , , ( t c z y x z y x t I ' ' + ' + ' = ' ' ' ' ' (4)

we see that 0 = I 0 = ' I . From this together with the linear transformation
between S and S' we must conclude that nI I = ' , with some number n that may
depend on the relative speed. (If n depends on the relative velocity, its definition
would require preferred directions which we assume not to exist.) However, the same
argument with the roles of S and S' swapped leads to I n I ' = .
PX4513 Note 1

CW 2012 2/3

Therefore, the only possibilities are

1
2
= n 1 = n (5)

But 1 = n is the only choice that is consistent with the special case when S S = ' .

We therefore conclude that


2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
t c z y x t c z y x ' ' + ' + ' = + + (6)

For simplicity, let us restrict this relative velocity to be along the x-axis and set

y y = ' and z z = ' (8)


Then relation (6) becomes


2 2 2 2 2 2
t c x t c x ' ' = (8)

For convenience let us introduce the following rescaled times

ct T = and t c T ' = ' (9)

which allows a more compact relation


2 2 2 2
T x T x ' ' = (10)

Using hyperbolic functions, we can now relate coordinates in S and S' by


o o
o o
cosh sinh
sinh cosh
T x T
T x x
+ = '
= '
(11)

where o is a parameter depending on the relative speed v. In showing the above we
have used the identity

1 sinh cosh
2 2
= o o (12)

To establish how o actually depends on the relative speed v, consider now the origin
of S' with 0 = ' = ' = ' z y x moving along the x-axis at speed v as seen by S .

It follows that
T
c
v
x vt x x = = = ' 0 (13)
Comparing with the relations between S and S' using equation (11a), we see that

| o =
c
v
tanh (14)
PX4513 Note 1

CW 2012 3/3
yielding

2
1
sinh
|
|
o

= and
|
o

=
2
1
1
cosh (15)

These relations can be used to eliminate the parameter o in favour of the physically
more meaningful relative speed v as follows:


) (
) (
x T T
T x x
|
|
= '
= '
(16)

i.e.


) (
) (
2
x
c
v
t t
vt x x
= '
= '

(17)

In terms of the complete space-time coordinates in S and S' we have finally the
standard Lorentz transformation as follows.


z z
y y
vt x x
x
c
v
t t
= '
= '
= '
= '
) (
) (
2

(18)

The physical and geometrical significance of this transformation will be discussed in
the next lecture note.