Past exam of the relativity course of the University of Cambridge / 2022 / Section B / 6 / b

The inverse transformation is $t=(p+q)/2$, $x=(q-p)/2$. ThusThe metric tensor in these light-cone coordinates is thereforeBoth off-diagonal entries are needed, since the quadratic line element sums over both index orders.

The Lorentz transformation is $t^{\prime }=\gamma (t-vx)$, $x^{\prime }=\gamma (x-vt)$ in units $c=1$. Adding and subtracting givesSince $\gamma (1+v)=\sqrt{(1+v)/(1-v)}$ and the other factor is its reciprocal,Here $\eta$ is the boost rapidity. Their product is unchanged, as required by invariance of the Minkowski interval.

The proper time normalization of the astronaut's four-velocity gives ${\dot{t}}^2-{\dot{x}}^2=1$. In the light-cone coordinates this isThe four-acceleration has squared norm ${\ddot{t}}^2-{\ddot{x}}^2=-a^2$, because $a$ is the constant proper acceleration. The same coordinate change therefore givesEquivalently write $\dot{q}=e^{\eta }$, $\dot{p}=e^{-\eta }$. Their second derivatives give $\ddot{p}\ddot{q}=-{\dot{\eta }}^2$, so the rapidity form of one-dimensional proper acceleration makes $\dot{\eta }=\pm a$, with sign fixing the acceleration direction.

For the stated outward-accelerating hyperbola, take positive signed proper acceleration and an initially stationary spaceship. Then $\eta =a\tau$, so $\dot{p}=e^{-a\tau }$ and $\dot{q}=e^{a\tau }$. The initial values are $p(0)=-1/a$, $q(0)=1/a$. Integration givesTaking their half-sum and half-difference yields the hyperbolic motionThe printed position data alone do not specify the initial velocity. If the initial rapidity is an arbitrary ${\eta }_0$, the equally valid positive-acceleration solution isThus the requested special expression implicitly selects ${\eta }_0=0$.

Use the specified hyperbolic trajectory. The emitted right-moving photon follows $x=L+t-t_0$, so its retarded null coordinate is $p=t_0-L$. Interception at astronaut proper time $\tau$ requiresThe astronaut has velocity $v=\tanh (a\tau )$ relative to the star and $\gamma =\cosh (a\tau )$. The collinear relativistic Doppler effect givesThis is the Doppler shift for a uniformly accelerated receiver. A finite reception time exists precisely when $t_0<L$, so the limiting emission time is $L$, approached from below. At $t_0=L$ the photon lies on the Rindler horizon and never reaches the astronaut. If reception is restricted to $\tau \ge 0$, the full emission range is $L-1/a\le t_0<L$; for emission after $t=0$, it is $0\le t_0<L$.