Uniqueness of Simultaneity

DOI10.1093/BJPS/52.4.651MaRDI QIDQ4483955zbMATH OpenOpenAlexWikidataFDO

Authors Domenico Giulini

Publication date 6 February 2004

Published in The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/0011050

zbMATH Keywords

absolute simultaneityEinstein simultaneityGalilean space-timeinertial framerelative simultaneity

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Special relativity (83A05) Equations of motion in general relativity and gravitational theory (83C10)

Abstract: We consider the problem of uniqueness of certain simultaneity structures in flat spacetime. Absolute simultaneity is specified to be a non-trivial equivalence relation which is invariant under the automorphism group Aut of spacetime. Aut is taken to be the identity-component of either the inhomogeneous Galilei group or the inhomogeneous Lorentz group. Uniqueness of standard simultaneity in the first, and absence of any absolute simultaneity in the second case are demonstrated and related to certain group theoretic properties. Relative simultaneity with respect to an additional structure X on spacetime is specified to be a non-trivial equivalence relation which is invariant under the subgroup in Aut that stabilises X. Uniqueness of standard Einstein simultaneity is proven in the Lorentzian case when X is an inertial frame. We end by discussing the relation to previous work of others.

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Cited in

(11)

• Relativistic simultaneity and Causality
• Simultaneity as an invariant equivalence relation
• Simultaneity in Minkowski spacetime: from uniqueness to arbitrariness
• Absolute distant simultaneity in special relativity
• The curse of simultaneity
• Algebraic and Geometric Structures in Special Relativity
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 4034608 (Why is no real title available?)
• Causality and Temporal Order in Special Relativity
• The rich structure of Minkowski space
• Uniqueness implies existence on time scales
• Conventionality of simultaneity: Malament's result revisited

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