Abstract
It is shown that the mode of operation of the relativistic Doppler effect and hence also its general formula can be deduced directly from the assumption of a cosmological fundamental reference frame, whose existence is now strongly supported by astronomical observation. Such a frame implies the existence of (relativistic) anisotropy effects on bodies and observers moving relative to it. The Doppler effect consequence is an interesting example of the emergence of relativistic effects from a simple intelligible assumption about light propagation, and shows how this assumption can provide a richer and clearer interpretation of special relativity than does the conventional formal approach.
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Prokhovnik, S.J. The operation of the relativistic Doppler effect. Found Phys 10, 197–208 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00715067
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00715067