Equivalence principle

The Equivalence Principle

Questioning the Equivalence Principle

The Equivalence Principle (EP) is not one of the “universal” principles of physics (like the Action Principle). It is a heuristic hypothesis which was introduced by Einstein in 1907, and used by him to construct his theory of General Relativity. In modern language, the (Einsteinian) EP consists in assuming that the only long-range field with gravitational-strength couplings to matter is a massl...

Is the Principle of Equivalence a Principle?

The work argues the principle of equivalence to be a theorem and not a principle (in a sense of an axiom). It contains a detailed analysis of the concepts of normal and inertial frame of reference. The equivalence principle is proved to be valid (at every point and along every path) in any gravitational theory based on linear connections. Possible generalizations of the equivalence principle ar...

Quantum Equivalence Principle

A simple mapping procedure is presented by which classical orbits and path integrals for the motion of a point particle in flat space can be transformed directly into those in curved space with torsion. Our procedure evolved from well-established methods in the theory of plastic deformations, where crystals with defects are described mathematically as images of ideal crystals under active nonho...

Equivalence Principle and Clocks

String theory suggests the existence of gravitational-strength scalar fields (" dilaton " and " moduli ") whose couplings to matter violate the equivalence principle. This provides a new motivation for high-precision clock experiments, as well as a generic theoretical framework for analyzing their significance.