An individual observer located at one position in space collecting information from the retarded light cone is confronted with aberration and Doppler shift, but also with a shift in intensity and pressure of the observed radiation. The latter are derived using the photon hypothesis and are applied to the cosmic microwave background. The interaction of matter with the cosmic background radiation tends to bring the matter to rest in a preferred frame in which the radiation is isotropic.
This content is only available via PDF.
© 1990 American Association of Physics Teachers.
1990
American Association of Physics Teachers
AAPT members receive access to the American Journal of Physics and The Physics Teacher as a member benefit. To learn more about this member benefit and becoming an AAPT member, visit the Joining AAPT page.
