The Lense--Thirring Effect and Mach's Principle

TL;DR

This paper discusses the Lense--Thirring effect in relation to Mach's principle, emphasizing that conclusions about its nature depend on the specific formulation of Mach's principle adopted.

Contribution

It clarifies how different formulations of Mach's principle influence the interpretation of the Lense--Thirring effect.

Findings

The interpretation of the Lense--Thirring effect varies with the formulation of Mach's principle.

The paper challenges the notion of the effect being 'Anti--Machian' based on certain assumptions.

It highlights the importance of the underlying theoretical framework in understanding gravitational phenomena.

Abstract

We respond to a recent paper by Rindler on the ``Anti--Machian'' nature of the Lense--Thirring effect. We remark that his conclusion depends crucially on the particular formulation of Mach's principle used.