Regensburg 1998 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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GR: Gravitation und Relativitätstheorie

GR 4: Gravitationswellen, Lichtausbreitung im Gravitationsfeld

GR 4.3: Hauptvortrag

Donnerstag, 26. März 1998, 11:20–12:05, H47

Metricity of space-time geometry and the geodesic path structures — •Udo Schelb — FB Physik, Univ. Paderborn, Warburger Str. 100, 33098 Paderborn

Our talk considers the question whether it can be excluded by simple, classical physical means that space-time has a non-metric Weylian geometry. As technical tool to this end the representation of different geometries in Riemannian normal coordinates is used. One can find there a new criterion – a coordinate property of the components of the metric – distinguishing Weyl and Riemann spaces. It is of physical interest since it can be translated in a directly experimentally verifiable criterion concerning the worldlines of particles and light signals. Another approach is based upon operationally interpreted radar coordinates and on tracing back the metric directly to parametrizations of worldlines (clocks). It likewise provides a certain property of the metric components satisfied in the Riemannian, but not in the Weyl geometry. At the bottom line of each approach is how the families of timelike and null geodesics – i.e. empirically well accessible entities – are situated with respect to each other.