Insights Defining Large-Scale Isotropy: A Formal Definition

  • Thread starter Thread starter andrewkirk
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Definition
andrewkirk
Science Advisor
Homework Helper
Insights Author
Gold Member
Messages
4,140
Reaction score
1,741
This Insight is part of my attempt to develop a formal definition of ‘large-scale isotropy’, a concept that is fundamental to most cosmology, but that is nowhere that I have seen properly defined.
The definitions of isotropy are as precise as one could wish, but the ‘large-scale’ bit is in every case I have seen just a hand-wave. It turns out that it’s quite messy to try to make that ‘large-scale’ notion precise.
I made a thread on it, which is here.
It is possible that everything below is in that thread, in more up-to-date and better versions. But I am not sure, and as I don’t have time to check before the blogs are deleted, I’m posting the material below just in case.
If you’re interested in this topic, I’d suggest going to the linked thread first, and then only coming back to this post if there are links in the thread to it.
First, define ##\Sigma_t## as the hypersurface of constant time t in the foliation.
##d(t,P,Q)## is the length of the shortest path in ##\Sigma_t## from...

Continue reading...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thread 'Can this experiment break Lorentz symmetry?'
1. The Big Idea: According to Einstein’s relativity, all motion is relative. You can’t tell if you’re moving at a constant velocity without looking outside. But what if there is a universal “rest frame” (like the old idea of the “ether”)? This experiment tries to find out by looking for tiny, directional differences in how objects move inside a sealed box. 2. How It Works: The Two-Stage Process Imagine a perfectly isolated spacecraft (our lab) moving through space at some unknown speed V...
Does the speed of light change in a gravitational field depending on whether the direction of travel is parallel to the field, or perpendicular to the field? And is it the same in both directions at each orientation? This question could be answered experimentally to some degree of accuracy. Experiment design: Place two identical clocks A and B on the circumference of a wheel at opposite ends of the diameter of length L. The wheel is positioned upright, i.e., perpendicular to the ground...
According to the General Theory of Relativity, time does not pass on a black hole, which means that processes they don't work either. As the object becomes heavier, the speed of matter falling on it for an observer on Earth will first increase, and then slow down, due to the effect of time dilation. And then it will stop altogether. As a result, we will not get a black hole, since the critical mass will not be reached. Although the object will continue to attract matter, it will not be a...
Back
Top