Name of general relativity symmetry

In summary: The Principle of Equivalence states that the laws of physics should be the same for all observers in relative motion.What is the Principle of Equivalence?The Principle of Equivalence states that the laws of physics should be the same for all observers in relative motion.
  • #1
snorkack
2,186
472
People seem to be seriously looking for "Lorentz violating" neutrino oscillations - meaning direct violation of special relativity.

What is a short name for the symmetry that distinguishes general relativity from special (the symmetry between acceleration and gravity)?
 
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  • #2
snorkack said:
People seem to be seriously looking for "Lorentz violating" neutrino oscillations - meaning direct violation of special relativity.

What is a short name for the symmetry that distinguishes general relativity from special (the symmetry between acceleration and gravity)?

I don't see the connection between the first part of post and the second. GR is locally Lorentz invariant. Globally (depending on some definitions or conventions), speed of light or neutrinos can be affected by gravity. This is not normally considered an SR violation because it is a consequence of gravity (see Shapiro time delay).

So far as I know, neutrino oscillations that violate SR also violate GR.

It might help if you have a reference to the searches you are discussing.

[You often hear that GR is diffeomorphism invariant. But so is SR. Further, event Newtonian gravity can be expressed in a way that is diffeomorphism invariatn - see Newton-Cartan theory.]
 
  • #3
So far as I know, neutrino oscillations that violate SR also violate GR.
GR implies SR, so every violation of SR is a violation of GR.
 
  • #4
mfb said:
GR implies SR, so every violation of SR is a violation of GR.

Indeed. But not vice versa.

What would be the term for phenomena which violate the symmetry between gravity and acceleration?
 
  • #5
snorkack said:
Indeed. But not vice versa.

What would be the term for phenomena which violate the symmetry between gravity and acceleration?

Ok, now I see: that is the Principle of Equivalence.

It is not an exact principle, without a bunch of qualification (locality of measurement and locality of interaction and not measuring second derivatives of certain quantities).

An example of global interaction is a charged body interacting with its distant field. This distinguishes a charge sitting on a gravitating body (doesn't radiate) from a uniformly accelerating charge (does radiate). [There is some controversy on this, but this is the consensus opinion.] Another, is where gravitational radiation comes into play.

The 'type' of measurement comes into play because curvature does not vanish even at one point; so certain types of devices (theoretical, mostly) could distinguish uniform acceleration from gravity on any scale, however, small. One way around this is to say that acceleration is indistinguishable from 'uniform gravity' which doesn't really exist except as a limit.

In any case, a violation of the principle of equivalence outside of these known limitations would be a major discovery.
 

1. What is the name of the general relativity symmetry?

The name of the general relativity symmetry is the principle of general covariance.

2. What does the principle of general covariance state?

The principle of general covariance states that the laws of physics should be the same for all observers, regardless of their reference frame or position in space-time.

3. How does the principle of general covariance relate to Einstein's theory of general relativity?

Einstein's theory of general relativity is based on the principle of general covariance, as it allows for the mathematical framework of general relativity to be applicable in all reference frames.

4. Are there any exceptions to the principle of general covariance?

There are no known exceptions to the principle of general covariance. It has been successfully tested and verified in numerous experiments and observations.

5. Why is the principle of general covariance important in understanding the nature of space and time?

The principle of general covariance is important because it allows for a unified understanding of space and time, as it states that the laws of physics should be the same in all reference frames. This is a fundamental concept in Einstein's theory of general relativity and has greatly advanced our understanding of the universe.

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