Null coordinates in flat spacetime

[Dale]

There are some "standard" coordinate systems in flat spacetime, such as Minkowski (inertial), Rindler (uniform acceleration), and Born (rotation).

Is there a "standard" coordinate system in flat spacetime which has at least one null coordinate?

 

[Bill_K]

Sure, there are several. Take advanced/retarded coordinates, u = t+x, v = t-x. If you want something fancier, the coordinate system based on the null cones whose vertices lie on a straight line: u = t-r.

 

[Dale]

thanks Bill_K, is there a name for the advanced retarded coordinates (I mean a person's name)?

 

[Mentz114]

thanks Bill_K, is there a name for the advanced retarded coordinates (I mean a person's name)?

I've seen them attributed to Brinkmann.

 

[DrGreg]

Not somebody's name, but I've also heard them called "light cone coordinates" or "radar coordinates". (The latter because if you imagine the observer detecting objects using radar, he transmits a pulse at time v and receives an echo at time u, in the notation of post #2.)

 

[vin300]

The basis vectors of u and v are null but not orthogonal.

 

[bobc2]

There are some "standard" coordinate systems in flat spacetime, such as Minkowski (inertial), Rindler (uniform acceleration), and Born (rotation).

Is there a "standard" coordinate system in flat spacetime which has at least one null coordinate?

Barton Zwiebach uses Light-cone Coordinates in his textbook, "A First Course In String Theory." The concept is introduced in Section 2.3, page 20. The Light-cone Matrix is