On the physical meaning of Fermi coordinates

(Some Latex problems should be removed in this version) Fermi coordinates (FC) are supposed to be the natural extension of Cartesian coordinates for an arbitrary moving observer in curved space-time. Since their construction cannot be done on the whole space and even not in the whole past of the observer we examine which construction principles are responsible for this effect and how they may be modified. One proposal for a modification is made and applied to the observer with constant acceleration in the two and four dimensional Minkowski space. The two dimensional case has some surprising similarities to Kruskal space which generalize those found by Rindler for the outer region of Kruskal space and the Rindler wedge. In perturbational approaches the modification leads also to different predictions for certain physical systems. As an example we consider atomic interferometry and derive the deviation of the acceleration-induced phase shift from the standard result in Fermi coordinates.Comment: 11 pages, KONS-RGKU-94/02 (Latex

A Statistical Mechanical Problem in Schwarzschild Spacetime

We use Fermi coordinates to calculate the canonical partition function for an ideal gas in a circular geodesic orbit in Schwarzschild spacetime. To test the validity of the results we prove theorems for limiting cases. We recover the Newtonian gas law subject only to tidal forces in the Newtonian limit. Additionally we recover the special relativistic gas law as the radius of the orbit increases to infinity. We also discuss how the method can be extended to the non ideal gas case.Comment: Corrected an equation misprint, added four references, and brief comments on the system's center of mass and the thermodynamic limi

The Dipole Coupling of Atoms and Light in Gravitational Fields

The dipole coupling term between a system of N particles with total charge zero and the electromagnetic field is derived in the presence of a weak gravitational field. It is shown that the form of the coupling remains the same as in flat space-time if it is written with respect to the proper time of the observer and to the measurable field components. Some remarks concerning the connection between the minimal and the dipole coupling are given.Comment: 10 pages, LaTe

Machine Code Programs are Predicates Too

I present an interpretation of machine language programs as boolean expressions. Source language programs may also be so interpreted. The correctness of a code generator can then be expressed as a simple relationship between boolean expressions. Code generators can then be calculated from their specification