A quantum basis for the relativistic doppler effect for light

Abstract

In the first of two derivations of the relativistic Doppler effect, obtained without directly applying the Lorentz transformations, the principle of relativity is used to introduce a probabilistic frequency-squared term and, thus, macroscopic uncertainty into the classical Doppler equations. In the second derivation, the classical Doppler effect for a moving mirror is broadened when introduction of Planck’s law for radiation from a light source includes high radiation frequencies and thus high electron velocities (V → c). These methods are suggested to more directly describe intrinsic probabilistic properties of electromagnetic radiation rather than measurement differences attributable to a moving frame of reference.