Relativistic Precessions of Macroscopic Objects

Abstract

THE problem of extending the Thomas precession to a macroscopic object spinning about its own axis has recently been considered in connexion with a rapidly rotating disk¹. It was concluded that an arbitrary finite section of the disk would not undergo a Thomas rotation, but instead would experience “Thomas shear stresses” and that only the individual rigid units (point particles) would rotate with the Thomas precession rate. The chief aim of this communication is to point out that, if the gravitational field of the disk is not neglected, this result also holds for the analogous general relativistic precessions, and to re-examine the relativistic precessions from a more realistic microscopic point of view.