Bibliographic Details
| Title: |
The behaviour of rods and clocks in general relativity, and the meaning of the metric field |
| Authors: |
Brown, Harvey R |
| Publication Year: |
2009 |
| Collection: |
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology |
| Subject Terms: |
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology |
| More Details: |
The notion that the metric field in general relativity can be understood as a property of space-time rests on a feature of the theory sometimes called universal coupling -- the claim that rods and clocks "measure" the metric in a way that is independent of their constitution. It is pointed out that this feature is not strictly a consequence of the central dynamical tenets of the theory, and argued that the metric field would better be regarded as a (possibly emergent) field in space-time, rather than as the very fabric of space-time itself.
Comment: 14 pages |
| Document Type: |
Working Paper |
| Access URL: |
http://arxiv.org/abs/0911.4440 |
| Accession Number: |
edsarx.0911.4440 |
| Database: |
arXiv |
