Doppler Shift in a Plasma*

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Abstract
It is first shown that the ideal electron plasma (presence of protons neglected) is unique among all dispersive media in that it does not distinguish any inertial frame of reference in terms of utility. The theory of the Doppler shift in an ideal plasma is then developed by simultaneous employment of two inertial frames of reference. In this way, certain remnants of paradoxes in the literature, such as energy dissipation for emitter frequencies greater than the plasma frequency, are removed. The theory is then extended by applying the principle of conservation of frequency. This makes it possible to establish the relation between the emitted and received frequency of an emitter and receiver which move at arbitrary speeds through a plasma that may be heterogeneous and may display unremovable anisotropy because of flow fields that cannot be eliminated by transformations.

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