LTT: David Wallace - A Gravitomagnetic Bootstrap: localizing rotational and conformal structure in Newtonian gravity as a path to general relativity

The Center for Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh invites you to join us for our Lunch Time Talk. Attend in person at 1117 Cathedral of Learning or visit our live stream on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrRp47ZMXD7NXO3a9Gyh2sg. LTT: David Wallace Tuesday, September 15th @ 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm EST Title: A Gravitomagnetic Bootstrap: localizing rotational and conformal structure in Newtonian gravity as a path to general relativity Abstract: Historically Newtonian gravity was understood in terms of long-range forces imposed on an absolute spacetime background, we now know it can be better understood as a localization of inertial structure - or at least of that part which distinguishes inertial motion from rectilinear acceleration. That perspective suggests a natural generalization: what if we also localize other aspects of inertial structure, like rotation and scale, and make them depend on matter dynamically? The resultant theory is uniquely determined up to an overall constant with the dimensions of velocity. It fails to be Galilean covariant; investigating this failure allows one to 'bootstrap' up to (local) Lorentz covariance in a manner closely analogous to the bootstrap from magnetostatics to Maxwell's theory and special relativity. The resultant theory is equivalent to the first post-Newtonian approximation to general relativity. This talk will also be available live streamed on: Zoom at https://pitt.zoom.us/j/97060068493 YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrRp47ZMXD7NXO3a9Gyh2sg.