This schematic figure illustrates the concept of radar distance between two Langevin observers in Minkowski spacetime. Langevin observers rotate rigidly around r = 0 (in a standard cylindrical chart) with angular velocity ω.
In the figure, a Langevin observer sends out a radar pulse at event A which hits another Langevin observer riding the same rotating ring at B′ which returns to the first observer at event A′;. To determine the radar distance, he divides the elapsed time (as measured by an ideal clock which he carries) by two.
At right, the ring is rotating counterclockwise. At left, it is rotating clockwise. Equal but oppositely directed rotation will result in different values for the radar distance. In other words, a pair of Langevin observers riding a rotating ring who each determine radar distances to their peer will obtain different values. This illustrates the fact that radar distance "in the large" is not symmetric.
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{{Information |Description=This schematic figure illustrates the concept of radar distance between two Langevin observers in Minkowski spacetime. Langevin observers rotate rigidly around r = 0 (in a standard cylindrical chart) with angular velocity ω.