Einstein's lifts and topologies: topological investigations on the Principle of Equivalence

TL;DR

This paper investigates whether a free-falling observer in Einstein's lift can detect topological non-trivialities in space-time, exploring the implications of the Principle of Equivalence through thought experiments.

Contribution

It provides a topological analysis of Einstein's lift to understand the detectability of space-time topology by free-falling observers.

Findings

Free-falling observers may detect space-time topology under certain conditions.

The analysis clarifies the relationship between local experiments and global space-time properties.

Insights into the limitations of the Principle of Equivalence in non-trivial topologies.

Abstract

The gedanken-experiment of Einstein's lift is analyzed in order of determining whether the free-falling observer inside the lift can detect the eventual topological non-triviality of space-time