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In the fundamental branches of modern physics, namely general relativity and its widely applicable subset special relativity, as well as relativistic quantum mechanics and relativistic quantum field theory, the Lorentz transformation is the transformation rule under which all four-vectors and tensors containing physical quantities transform from one frame of reference to another.
The most general proper Lorentz transformation Λ(v, θ) includes a boost and rotation together, and is a nonsymmetric matrix. As special cases, Λ(0, θ) = R(θ) and Λ(v, 0) = B(v). An explicit form of the general Lorentz transformation is cumbersome to write down and will not be given here.
(The improper Lorentz transformations have determinant −1.) The subgroup of proper Lorentz transformations is denoted SO(1, 3). The subgroup of all Lorentz transformations preserving both orientation and direction of time is called the proper, orthochronous Lorentz group or restricted Lorentz group, and is denoted by SO + (1, 3). [a]
The derivative operators, and hence the energy and 3-momentum operators, are also non-invariant and change under Lorentz transformations. Under a proper orthochronous Lorentz transformation (r, t) → Λ(r, t) in Minkowski space, all one-particle quantum states ψ σ locally transform under some representation D of the Lorentz group: [13] [14]
Lorentz transformations can be parametrized by rapidity φ for a boost in the direction of a three-dimensional unit vector ^ = (,,), and a rotation angle θ about a three-dimensional unit vector ^ = (,,) defining an axis, so ^ = (,,) and ^ = (,,) are together six parameters of the Lorentz group (three for rotations and three for boosts). The ...
The covariant formulation of classical electromagnetism refers to ways of writing the laws of classical electromagnetism (in particular, Maxwell's equations and the Lorentz force) in a form that is manifestly invariant under Lorentz transformations, in the formalism of special relativity using rectilinear inertial coordinate systems.
In the special relativity, Lorentz transformations exhibit the symmetry of Minkowski spacetime by using a constant c as the speed of light, and a parameter v as the relative velocity between two inertial reference frames. Using the above conditions, the Lorentz transformation in 3+1 dimensions assume the form:
The title of this article is redundant since all mathematical theories of electromagnetism are relativistic. Indeed, as Einstein wrote, "The special theory of relativity ... was simply a systematic development of the electrodynamics of Clerk Maxwell and Lorentz". [13]