Classical aspects of lightlike dimensional reduction

Some aspects of lightlike dimensional reduction in flat spacetime are studied with emphasis to classical applications. Among them the Galilean transformation of shadows induced by inertial frame changes is studied in detail by proving that, (i) the shadow of an object has the same shape in every orthogonal-to-light screen, (ii) if two shadows are simultaneous in an orthogonal-to-light screen then they are simultaneous in any such screen. In particular, the Galilean group in 2+1 dimensions is recognized as an exact symmetry of Nature which acts on the shadows of the events instead that on the events themselves. The group theoretical approach to lightlike dimensional reduction is used to solve the reconstruction problem of a trajectory starting from its acceleration history or from its projected (shadow) trajectory. The possibility of obtaining a Galilean projected physics starting from a Poincar\'e invariant physics is stressed through the example of relativistic collisions. In particular, it is shown that the projection of a relativistic collision between massless particles gives a non-relativistic collision in which the kinetic energy is conserved.Comment: Latex2e, 28 pages, 3 figures, uses psfra

An equivalent form of Young's inequality with upper bound

Young's integral inequality is complemented with an upper bound to the remainder. The new inequality turns out to be equivalent to Young's inequality, and the cases in which the equality holds become particularly transparent in the new formulation.Comment: 5 pages. v2: Title changed to match published version. Previous title: "Doubling Young's inequality

Special coordinate systems in pseudo-Finsler geometry and the equivalence principle

Special coordinate systems are constructed in a neighborhood of a point or of a curve. Taylor expansions can then be easily inferred for the metric, the connection, or the Finsler Lagrangian in terms of curvature invariants. These coordinates circumvent the difficulties of the normal and Fermi coordinates in Finsler geometry, which in general are not sufficiently differentiable. They are obtained applying the usual constructions to the pullback of a horizontally torsionless connection. The results so obtained are easily specialized to the Berwald or Chern-Rund connections and have application in the study of the equivalence principle in Finslerian extensions of general relativity.Comment: 20 page

The conformal transformation of the night sky

We give a simple differential geometric proof of the conformal transformation of the night sky under change of observer. The proof does not rely on the four dimensionality of spacetime or on spinor methods. Furthermore, it really shows that the result does not depend on Lorentz transformations. This approach, by giving a transparent covariant expression to the conformal factor, shows that in most situations it is possible to define a thermal sky metric independent of the observer.Comment: 10 pages. v2: a minimal change in the Introductio

A unifying mechanical equation with applications to non-holonomic constraints and dissipative phenomena

A mechanical covariant equation is introduced which retains all the effectingness of the Lagrange equation while being able to describe in a unified way other phenomena including friction, non-holonomic constraints and energy radiation (Lorentz-Abraham-Dirac force equation). A quantization rule adapted to the dissipative degrees of freedom is proposed which does not pass through the variational formulation.Comment: Latex2e, 10 pages. V2: some corrections in Sect.

Differential aging from acceleration, an explicit formula

We consider a clock 'paradox' framework where an observer leaves an inertial frame, is accelerated and after an arbitrary trip comes back. We discuss a simple equation that gives, in the 1+1 dimensional case, an explicit relation between the time elapsed on the inertial frame and the acceleration measured by the accelerating observer during the trip. A non-closed trip with respect to an inertial frame appears closed with respect to another suitable inertial frame. Using this observation we define the differential aging as a function of proper time and show that it is non-decreasing. The reconstruction problem of special relativity is also discussed showing that its, at least numerical, solution would allow the construction of an 'inertial clock'.Comment: Revtex4, 5 pages, 1 fugur

Raychaudhuri equation and singularity theorems in Finsler spacetimes

The Raychaudhuri equation and its consequences for chronality are studied in the context of Finsler spacetimes. It is proved that the notable singularity theorems of Lorentzian geometry extend to the Finslerian domain. Indeed, so do the theorems by Hawking, Penrose, Hawking and Penrose, Geroch, Gannon, Tipler, or Kriele, but also the Topological Censorship theorem and so on. It is argued that the notable results in causality theory connected to achronal sets, future sets, domains of dependence, limit curve theorems, length functional, Lorentzian distance, geodesic connectedness, extend to the Finslerian domain. Results concerning the spacetime asymptotic structure, horizons differentiability and conformal transformations are also included.Comment: 29 pages. v2: expanded treatment of conformal transformations; corrected an error on the conformal transformation of the Ricci scala