Cosmological consequences of the Lorentz and Doppler transformations

Abstract

The common opinion that the Lorentz transformation distorts the Minkowski spacetime arises from a mathematically incorrect neglect of its non-diagonal terms. When the non-diagonal Lorentz transformation is properly treated, the time dilation and the space distortion disappear. Consequently, the Lorentz metric produced by the Lorentz transformation is identical to the Minkowski metric. The spacetime distortion in moving inertial frames is properly described by the so-called Doppler metric produced by the Doppler transformation. This transformation assumes the existence of a preferred frame and depicts the Doppler shift of light for a moving light source and/or observer. The Doppler metric is Lorentz invariant and leaves the Maxwell’s equations unchanged from their form in the Minkowski spacetime. Moreover, the Doppler metric is experimentally confirmed because it yields the null result in the Michelson–Morley experiment and other interferometric experiments. The suitability of the Doppler metric for describing light properties in Special and General Relativity is supported by recent cosmological observations of the cosmic microwave background.