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How is the Rapidity Vector calculated from Velocity Vector in 3-D and vice versa in Special Relativity?

What I want is to take 2 3D Velocity Vectors, convert each to corresponding 3D Rapidity Vectors, Add them and Covert the resultant 3D Rapidity Vector Back to 3D Velocity Vector. Verify that Velocity Vector thus obtained is same as Velocity Vector obtained by Directly adding the 2 3D Velocity Vectors (Using Einstein Velocity Addition).

Any acceptable answer should be able to show examples using actual numerical values for both parallel /non- parallel Rapidity/Velocity Vectors.

Thanks.

1 Answers1

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REFERENCE : My answer here How to add together non-parallel rapidities?.

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From above reference consider the velocity vectors \begin{align} \mathbf{u}_1 \boldsymbol{=} \left(u_{1x},u_{1y},u_{1z}\right) & \boldsymbol{=}\left(u_1 n_{1x},u_1 n_{1y},u_1 n_{1z}\right) \boldsymbol{=} u_1 \mathbf{n}_1\,, \:\: u_1 \in \left(-c,0\right)\cup\left(0,c\right) \tag{01a}\label{01a}\\ \Vert \mathbf{n}_1 \Vert^2 & \boldsymbol{=} n^2_{1x}\boldsymbol{+}n^2_{1y} \boldsymbol{+} n^2_{1z} \boldsymbol{=}1 \tag{01b}\label{01b}\\ \gamma_1 & \boldsymbol{=} \left(1\boldsymbol{-}\dfrac{u^1_1}{c^2}\right)^{\boldsymbol{-}\frac12}\boldsymbol{=}\cosh\zeta_1 \tag{01c}\label{01c} \end{align} and \begin{align} \mathbf{u}_2 \boldsymbol{=}\left(u_{2x'},u_{2y'},u_{2z'}\right) & \boldsymbol{=} \left(u_2 n_{2x'},u_2 n_{2y'},u_2 n_{1z'}\right) \boldsymbol{=} u_2 \mathbf{n}_2\,, \:\: u_2 \in \left(-c,0\right)\cup\left(0,c\right) \tag{02a}\label{02a}\\ \Vert \mathbf{n}_2 \Vert^2 & = n^2_{2x'}+n^2_{2y'} + n^2_{2z'} = 1 \tag{02b}\label{02b}\\ \gamma_2 & \boldsymbol{=} \left(1\boldsymbol{-}\dfrac{u^2_2}{c^2}\right)^{\boldsymbol{-}\frac12}\boldsymbol{=}\cosh\zeta_2 \tag{02c}\label{02c} \end{align} Note that $u_1,u_2$ are not the positive magnitudes of $\:\mathbf{u}_1,\mathbf{u}_2$. They are real numbers, that is they can have negative values.

The derived equation \begin{equation} \mathbf{u} \boldsymbol{=}\dfrac{\mathbf{u}_2\boldsymbol{+}\dfrac{\gamma^2_{1}\left(\mathbf{u}_1\boldsymbol{\cdot}\mathbf{u}_2\right)}{c^2 \left(\gamma_{1}\boldsymbol{+}1\right)}\mathbf{u}_1\boldsymbol{+}\gamma_1 \mathbf{u}_1}{ \gamma_1\left(1\boldsymbol{+}\dfrac{\mathbf{u}_1\boldsymbol{\cdot}\mathbf{u}_2}{c^{2}}\right)} \tag{03}\label{03} \end{equation} beyond to be the transformation law for 3-velocities, is the law of relativistic addition of 3-velocities, more exactly it's the relativistic sum of $\:\mathbf{u}_1,\mathbf{u}_2$.

For the $\gamma-$factors we have \begin{equation} \gamma \boldsymbol{=}\gamma_{1}\gamma_{2}\left(1\boldsymbol{+}\dfrac{\mathbf{u}_1\boldsymbol{\cdot}\mathbf{u}_2}{c^2}\right) \tag{04}\label{04} \end{equation} which from the definition of rapidities \begin{equation} \tanh\zeta_1\stackrel{\texttt{def}}{\boldsymbol{=}}\dfrac{u_1}{c}\,,\quad \tanh\zeta_2\stackrel{\texttt{def}}{\boldsymbol{=}}\dfrac{u_2}{c}\,,\quad\tanh\zeta\stackrel{\texttt{def}}{\boldsymbol{=}}\dfrac{u}{c} \tag{05}\label{05} \end{equation} yields \begin{equation} \cosh\zeta\boldsymbol{=}\cosh\zeta_1\cosh\zeta_2\boldsymbol{+}\underbrace{\left(\mathbf{n}_1\boldsymbol{\cdot}\mathbf{n}_2\right)}_{\cos\omega}\sinh\zeta_1\sinh\zeta_2 \tag{06}\label{06} \end{equation}

From the definition of rapidity 3-vectors we have \begin{align} \mathbf{w}_1 \stackrel{\texttt{def}}{\boldsymbol{=}}\zeta_1\mathbf{n}_1\boldsymbol{=}\zeta_1\dfrac{\mathbf{u}_1}{u_1}\boldsymbol{=}\dfrac{\zeta_1}{c\tanh\zeta_1}\mathbf{u}_1 \quad \boldsymbol{\Longrightarrow}\quad \mathbf{u}_1 & \boldsymbol{=}\dfrac{c\tanh\zeta_1}{\zeta_1}\mathbf{w}_1 \tag{07a}\label{07a}\\ \mathbf{w}_2 \stackrel{\texttt{def}}{\boldsymbol{=}}\zeta_2\mathbf{n}_2\boldsymbol{=}\zeta_2\dfrac{\mathbf{u}_2}{u_2}\boldsymbol{=}\dfrac{\zeta_2}{c\tanh\zeta_2}\mathbf{u}_2 \quad \boldsymbol{\Longrightarrow}\quad \mathbf{u}_2 &\boldsymbol{=}\dfrac{c\tanh\zeta_2}{\zeta_2}\mathbf{w}_2 \tag{07b}\label{07b}\\ \mathbf{w} \stackrel{\texttt{def}}{\boldsymbol{=}}\zeta\mathbf{n}\boldsymbol{=}\zeta\dfrac{\mathbf{u}\hphantom{_2}}{u}\boldsymbol{=}\dfrac{\zeta}{c\tanh\zeta}\mathbf{u} \quad \boldsymbol{\Longrightarrow}\quad \mathbf{u} &\boldsymbol{=}\dfrac{c\tanh\zeta}{\zeta}\mathbf{w} \tag{07c}\label{07c} \end{align}

Multiplying by $\gamma_2$ the nominator and denominator of the rhs in equation \eqref{03} and making use of \eqref{04} \begin{equation} \mathbf{u}\boldsymbol{=}\dfrac{\gamma_2\mathbf{u}_2\boldsymbol{+}\dfrac{\gamma_2\gamma^2_{1}\left(\mathbf{u}_1\boldsymbol{\cdot}\mathbf{u}_2\right)}{c^2 \left(\gamma_{1}\boldsymbol{+}1\right)}\mathbf{u}_1\boldsymbol{+}\gamma_2\gamma_1 \mathbf{u}_1}{\cosh \zeta} \tag{08}\label{08} \end{equation} From equations \eqref{07a},\eqref{07b} \begin{align} \gamma_1 \mathbf{u}_1 & \boldsymbol{=}\cosh\zeta_1 \mathbf{u}_1\boldsymbol{=}\dfrac{c\sinh\zeta_1}{\zeta_1}\mathbf{w}_1 \tag{09a}\label{09a}\\ \gamma_2 \mathbf{u}_2 & \boldsymbol{=}\cosh\zeta_2 \mathbf{u}_2\boldsymbol{=}\dfrac{c\sinh\zeta_2}{\zeta_2}\mathbf{w}_2 \tag{09b}\label{09b} \end{align} Inserting above expressions of $\gamma_1 \mathbf{u}_1,\gamma_2 \mathbf{u}_2$ in equation \eqref{08} and making use of \eqref{07c} we have in terms of rapitidies and rapitidies 3-vectors \begin{equation} \dfrac{c\sinh\zeta}{\zeta}\mathbf{w} \boldsymbol{=}\dfrac{c\sinh\zeta_2}{\zeta_2}\mathbf{w}_2 \boldsymbol{+}\dfrac{c\sinh^2\zeta_1\sinh\zeta_2}{\zeta^2_1\zeta_2 \left(\cosh\zeta_1\boldsymbol{+}1\right)}\left(\mathbf{w}_1\boldsymbol{\cdot}\mathbf{w}_2\right)\mathbf{w}_1\boldsymbol{+}\cosh\zeta_2\dfrac{c\sinh\zeta_1}{\zeta_1}\mathbf{w}_1 \tag{10}\label{10} \end{equation} and in terms of rapitidies and unit 3-vectors \begin{equation} (\sinh\zeta)\mathbf{n} \boldsymbol{=}(\sinh\zeta_1\cosh\zeta_2)\mathbf{n}_1 \boldsymbol{+}(\sinh\zeta_2)\mathbf{n}_2 \boldsymbol{+}\dfrac{\sinh^2\zeta_1\sinh\zeta_2}{ \left(\cosh\zeta_1\boldsymbol{+}1\right)}\left(\mathbf{n}_1\boldsymbol{\cdot}\mathbf{n}_2\right)\mathbf{n}_1 \tag{11}\label{11} \end{equation} or \begin{equation} (\sinh\zeta)\mathbf{n} \boldsymbol{=}\left[\dfrac{\overbrace{\left[\!\![\cosh\zeta_1\cosh\zeta_2\boldsymbol{+}\left(\mathbf{n}_1\boldsymbol{\cdot}\mathbf{n}_2\right)\sinh\zeta_1\sinh\zeta_2]\!\!\right]}^{\cosh\zeta}\boldsymbol{+}\cosh\zeta_2}{ \left(\cosh\zeta_1\boldsymbol{+}1\right)}\right](\sinh\zeta_1)\mathbf{n}_1 \boldsymbol{+}(\sinh\zeta_2)\mathbf{n}_2 \tag{12}\label{12} \end{equation}

Frobenius
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  • Dear Frobenius, Thank you for making all the effort. Do you think you can use the results you have given in equations (10) and (11) to actually convert any given 3D Velocity Vector to 3D Rapidity Vector? Does adding 2 Such Rapidity Vectors produce another Rapidity Vector that can be converted to Velocity Vector (in both parallel and non parallel cases)? Request you to please support your answer with actual numerical values. – Arup Hore Oct 24 '20 at 01:29
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    Dear Frobenius, First of all let me confess that when I saw your post today morning, I had a very limited knowledge/understanding of the rapidity vectors based on the "In more than one spatial dimension" of the Wikipedia article. On the top of it, all the mathematics in your post (especially the later half regarding the calculation of Rapidity Vectors) overwhelmed me. So I did not go through it in detail and took a shortcut and asked you to do the calculations for me. But now I have gone through it in detail and understand it fully. Thanks a lot for taking all the pain. Regards – Arup Hore Oct 24 '20 at 06:46
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    Also I understand that it is quite a circular far way path for adding velocities. I asked this question barely to improve my understanding of the Rapidity Vectors, which thanks to you is much better now. However I must warn you to be prepared for more such questions from me. – Arup Hore Oct 24 '20 at 06:55
  • Also I really hope people will upvote this question. It certainly does not deserve a negative overall voting – Arup Hore Oct 24 '20 at 06:58
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    Neither do I. But a negative overall voting may discourage people to go through the question and even more wonderful answer that you have provided. Especially the people who are new to this topic and are as confused as I was – Arup Hore Oct 24 '20 at 07:09