Gamow's Cyclist: A New Look at Relativistic Measurements for a Binocular Observer

• Main Authors: Cryer-Jenkins, E. C, Stevenson, P. D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 26-06-2019
• Subjects: Physics - Classical Physics; Physics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics; Physics - Popular Physics
• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.1906.11642

The visualisation of objects moving at relativistic speeds has been a popular
topic of study since Special Relativity's inception. While the standard
exposition of the theory describes certain shape-changing effects, such as the
Lorentz-contraction, it makes no mention of how an extended object would appear
in a snapshot or how apparent distortions could be used for measurement.
Previous work on the subject has derived the apparent form of an object, often
making mention of George Gamow's relativistic cyclist thought experiment. Here,
a rigorous re-analysis of the cyclist, this time in 3-dimensions, is undertaken
for a binocular observer, accounting for both the distortion in apparent
position and the relativistic colour and intensity shifts undergone by a fast
moving object. A methodology for analysing binocular relativistic data is then
introduced, allowing the fitting of experimental readings of an object's
apparent position to determine the distance to the object and its velocity.
This method is then applied to the simulation of Gamow's cyclist, producing
self-consistent results.