Past exam of the symmetry and relativity course of the University of Oxford / 2015 / 1 / b / Solution

Use the metric $\eta =\mathrm{diag}(-1,1,1,1)$ and four-velocity $u^{\mu }=\gamma (c,\mathbf{v})$. Its derivative with respect to proper time is the four-acceleration. Sincea purely transverse laboratory acceleration has $d\gamma /dt=0$. With $d/d\tau =\gamma d/dt$,The invariant proper acceleration is the magnitude measured in the instantaneous rest frame, $a_0^2=A^{\mu }{A}_{\mu }$. Consequently,For longitudinal acceleration the factor is instead ${\gamma }^3$ multiplying the laboratory acceleration. The distinction matters for circular storage-ring motion, where the acceleration is centripetal and transverse even though its magnitude is nonzero.