Using Rotations to Control Observable Relativistic Effects.

This paper examines the possibility of controlling the outcome of measured (flat space-time) relativistic effects, such as time dilation or length contractions, using pure rotations and their nontrivial interactions with Lorentz boosts in the isometry group SO + (3 , 1) . In particular, boost contributions may annihilate leaving only a geometric phase (Wigner rotation), which we see in the complex solutions of the generalized Euler decomposition problem in R 3 . We consider numerical examples involving specific matrix factorizations, along with possible applications in special relativity, electrodynamics and quantum scattering. For clearer interpretation and simplified calculations we use a convenient projective biquaternion parametrization which emphasizes the geometric phases and for a large class of problems allows for closed-form solutions in terms of only rational functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]