Mach's Principle and the Origin of Inertia

TL;DR

This paper explores Mach's principle within general relativity, examining how inertia arises from mass and spin, and discusses the coupling of intrinsic spin with rotation and its implications for relativistic physics.

Contribution

It analyzes the origin of inertia for mass and spin, and investigates spin-rotation coupling and potential nonlocal effects in relativistic physics.

Findings

Inertia of mass and spin are linked to representations of the inhomogeneous Lorentz group.

Spin-rotation coupling affects the inertial properties of particles.

Possible history dependence and nonlocality in relativistic inertia are considered.

Abstract

The current status of Mach's principle is discussed within the context of general relativity. The inertial properties of a particle are determined by its mass and spin, since these characterize the irreducible unitary representations of the inhomogeneous Lorentz group. The origin of the inertia of mass and intrinsic spin are discussed and the inertia of intrinsic spin is studied via the coupling of intrinsic spin with rotation. The implications of spin-rotation coupling and the possibility of history dependence and nonlocality in relativistic physics are briefly mentioned.