(a) Let S with coordinates (ct,x,y) and S′ with coordinates (ct′,x′,y′) be inertial frames in Minkowski space with two spatial dimensions. S′ moves with velocity v along the x-axis of S and they are related by the standard Lorentz transformation:
⎝⎛ctxy⎠⎞=⎝⎛γγv/c0γv/cγ0001⎠⎞⎝⎛ct′x′y′⎠⎞, where γ=1−v2/c21.
A photon is emitted at the spacetime origin. In S′ it has frequency ν′ and propagates at angle θ′ to the x′-axis.
Write down the 4 -momentum of the photon in the frame S′.
Hence or otherwise find the frequency of the photon as seen in S. Show that it propagates at angle θ to the x-axis in S, where
tanθ=γ(1+cvsecθ′)tanθ′
A light source in S′ emits photons uniformly in all directions in the x′y′-plane. Show that for large v, in S half of the light is concentrated into a narrow cone whose semi-angle α is given by cosα=v/c.
(b) The centre-of-mass frame for a system of relativistic particles in Minkowski space is the frame in which the total relativistic 3-momentum is zero.
Two particles A1 and A2 of rest masses m1 and m2 move collinearly with uniform velocities u1 and u2 respectively, along the x-axis of a frame S. They collide, coalescing to form a single particle A3.
Determine the velocity of the centre-of-mass frame of the system comprising A1 and A2.
Find the speed of A3 in S and show that its rest mass m3 is given by