Space-Time Distortion: Matterless Vacuums in Space

[JDude13]

Imagine a spacecraft containing a perfect vacuum, hurtling through space at 0.9c.
This movement distorts the space the matter of the ship occupies. But what happens to the space inside the ship? It contains no matter. Is space irrelevant without matter?

 

[Dale]

Are you imagining a spacecraft that is extremely massive like a planet? Why would the spacecraft distort spacetime?

 

[HallsofIvy]

Nothing happens to the space inside the ship because it is moving with the ship. Yes, there is space even when there is no mass.

DaleSpam- even a very small mass will "distort" spacetime- a small amount.

 

[Dale]

True, but either you need a really massive ship or some incredibly sensitive detectors, which we don't usually assume in these kinds of problems.

I am just trying to understand the OP's question better. Why talk about a spaceship containing vacuum rather than a planet with a hollow vacuum-filled center? I think that JDude13 is asking something different than most posters with similar questions, but I am not sure exactly what.

 

[JDude13]

My question is about whether or not space exists without matter for it to manipulate.
Does the space inside a regular spaceship contract when there are no particles?
Alternately, imagine a ping-pong ball floating inside the spaceship before it accelerates rapidly. Is the ping-pong ball affected by length contraction because of its proximity to a moving body? Or will we only observe the ball's relativistic behavior once it makes contact with the inside of the ship and accelerates?

 

[Dale]

What does proximity to a moving body have to do with length contraction?

In one reference frame the lengths determined in a moving reference frame are contracted regardless of whether or not there is something moving or at rest in either frame. Length contraction is about relatively moving reference frames, not moving objects.

If the ping pong ball is analyzed from a frame where it is moving then it's diameter is length contracted, regardless of the motion of the ship. If the ping pong ball is analyzed from a frame where it is stationary then it's diameter is not length contracted, regardless of the motion of the ship. The ship is a red herring.