Reflection of light from a uniformly moving mirror

TL;DR

This paper derives a reflection law for polarized light from a moving mirror using Huygens-Fresnel principle and demonstrates Lorentz contraction as a physical effect consistent with special relativity.

Contribution

It presents a new formula for light reflection from a moving mirror and links Lorentz contraction directly to the postulates of special relativity.

Findings

Derived a reflection law for polarized light from a moving mirror.

Showed Lorentz contraction as a physical reality, not just a measurement artifact.

Abstract

We developed a formula for the law of reflection of a plane-polarized light beam from an inclined flat mirror in uniform rectilinear motion by a direct application of the Huygens-Fresnel principle. Applying the obtained formula and the postulates of special relativity to describe a specific thought experiment, we showed that the moving mirror must be contracted along the direction of its motion by the usual Lorentz factor. The result emphasizes the reality of Lorentz contraction by showing that the contraction is a direct consequence of the first and second postulates of special relativity, and not a product of the process of relativistic measurement of the length.