Gravity’s Time

This book is unique and exceptional in dealing with the notion of physical time rigorously, both logically and empirically. The central theme is the intimate relation between physical time and cosmic gravity. It establishes and explains, in an accessible manner, the one crucial physical fact that has been missed in the development of modern physics—that the enormous gravity of the matter and energy in the Universe is the controller and cause of the relativistic time. The material in the book is accurate and free of the ambiguities in the discussion of time and its modifications (dilation), synchronization of clocks, and simultaneity. The contents go beyond the current theories of relativity that fail to incorporate the cosmic gravity in their structure. The discussion of clocks in satellite navigational systems (like the GPS) is the most complete and accurate. The book offers several new insights, and it is the only available treatise on the complete physical truth about time. The contents are addressed to a wide range of readers, from general readers and students to experienced researchers, and will also appeal well to philosophers and historians of physics. This book has the enabling quality to deal with difficult questions about physical time, with unprecedented clarity and without paradoxes. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents List of Figures List of Tables Preface Acknowledgments Chapter 1: Time 1.1: Space 1.2: Matter 1.3: Interactions 1.4: Motion and Evolution 1.5: Time, Again 1.6: Time and Space as Essential Unobservables in Physics 1.7: Clocks 1.8: Dynamics and Time 1.9: Time, Frequency, and Quanta 1.10: Being and Time 1.11: Astronomy’s Time 1.12: Our Earth Clock 1.13: The Moon Clock 1.14: Ephemeris Clock 1.15: Cosmological Time 1.16: Anthropic Time 1.16.1: Memory, History, and the Psychological Time 1.16.2: Cinema and Time 1.16.3: Animals and Time 1.16.4: Clock as Life and Life as Clock 1.17: Time in Close-Up 1.18: Summary Chapter 2: Gravity 2.1: A Slow Thought Experiment 2.2: Gravity as a Force 2.3: Gravity beyond the Pulling Force 2.3.1: More on the Puzzle of Inertia 2.4: Gravity’s Charge 2.5: Gravity as a Modification of Space and Time 2.6: How Can Gravity Act on Void? 2.7: Summary Chapter 3: Time and Motion 3.1: Relativity and the Propagation of Light 3.2: Relativity and Special Relativity 3.3: Motion and Physical Common Sense 3.4: Motion and Its Physical Reference 3.5: Simultaneity 3.6: Comparing Clocks 3.7: Clock Synchronization 3.7.1: Space-Time Diagrams 3.7.2: Synchronizing with Electromagnetic Signals 3.7.3: Clock Synchronization by Slow Transport 3.8: What Causes Time Dilation? 3.9: Imaginary Time and Real Space 3.10: Can I Change Your Time by Moving My Clock? 3.11: The Twin-Clocks Problem 3.11.1: Einstein’s Resolution of the Twin-Clocks Problem 3.11.2: Time and Acceleration 3.12: Time in Rotating Frames 3.12.1: Clocks on the Geoid of the Rotating Earth 3.13: Motion, Gravity, and Time 3.14: It Must Be Gravity’s Time 3.15: Summary Chapter 4: Our Universe and Cosmic Gravity 4.1: Leaning on Galileo 4.2: Matter, Gravity, and Metric 4.3: Contents of Our Universe 4.4: Gravity of Our Universe 4.5: The Paradigm of Cosmic Relativity 4.6: Some Results from Cosmic Relativity 4.7: The Cosmic Clock 4.8: Summary Chapter 5: Gravity’s Time 5.1: Gravitational Time Dilation 5.2: Why Is There a Motional Time Dilation? 5.3: Cosmic Gravity, Clocks, and Time 5.4: Finally, an Obituary for the Twin-Paradox 5.5: Gravity and Clocks 5.5.1: Time Dilation of Atomic Clocks 5.5.2: Time Dilation of Mechanical Clocks 5.6: Time and the ‘Absolute’ Velocity 5.7: Time Asymmetry in Motion at Symmetric Relative Velocity 5.8: The Hafele–Keating Experiment 5.9: Summary Chapter 6: Interlude on Simultaneity and the One-Way Speed of Light 6.1: Einstein’s Train and Platform Scenario 6.2: The Relative Velocity of Light 6.2.1: General Considerations 6.2.2: One-Way Experiments in Rotating Frames 6.3: Experimental Proof of the Galilean Relative Velocity of Light 6.4: Summary Chapter 7: The Moving Clocks of Navigational Satellite Systems 7.1: Comparing Clocks, Revisited 7.1.1: Motional Time Dilation 7.1.2: Range Finding 7.2: The Factual Motional Relativity in the GNSS 7.3: Bye, Local Time 7.4: Summary Chapter 8: The Dissemination of Standard Time 8.1: The Standard Time 8.2: Distribution and Synchronization of Time 8.3: Time Transfer with Electromagnetic Waves 8.3.1: Two-Way Transfer 8.3.2: One-Way Transfer 8.4: Optical Fibre Links 8.5: Summary Chapter 9: Gravity’s Time in Quantum Mechanics 9.1: Time, Locality, and Causality 9.1.1: Causality in Einstein’s STR 9.2: Quantum Measurements and Time 9.3: Quantum Measurements and the Collapse of the Wavefunction 9.4: The EPR Argument of the Incompleteness of QM 9.4.1: The Origin of the Belief in Nonlocality 9.4.2: Are There Nonlocality and Telepathic Influences? 9.5: Summary Chapter 10: Apparent Arrows of the Corporeal Time 10.1: The Arrows of Time 10.1.1: The Thermodynamic Arrow of Time 10.1.2: The Cosmological Arrow of Time 10.1.3: The Quantum Mechanical Arrow of Time 10.1.4: Arrows of Time in Life 10.2: Where Is the Bow? 10.3: The True Nature and Essence of Time 10.4: Is Time Reversible? 10.5: Antiparticles as Time-Reversed Particles? 10.6: Closed Loops of Time 10.7: The Dimensions of Time 10.8: Can Time End? 10.9: Summary Chapter 11: The Last Ticks 11.1: Time and Quantum Gravity 11.2: The Future of Time Bibliography Index This book is unique and exceptional in any recent literature that deals with the notion of physical time rigorously, both logically and empirically. The central theme is the intimate relation between physical time and cosmic gravity. It establishes and explains, in an accessible and systematic manner, the one crucial physical fact that has been missed in the development of modern physics--that the enormous gravity of the matter and energy in the universe is the entire controller and cause of the relativistic flow of time. The material in the book is accurate and free of the ambiguities and imprecision that is common in the discussion of time and its modifications (dilation), synchronization of clocks, and simultaneity. The contents go beyond the current theories of relativity that fail to incorporate the cosmic gravity in their structure. The discussion of clocks in satellite navigational systems is the most complete and accurate. The book offers several new insights and results about physical time, and it is the only available treatise on the complete physical truth about time. The contents are addressed to a wide range of readers, from general readers to experienced researchers in physics, metrology, and precision chronometry. The content appeals well to philosophers and historians of physics as well. This book has the enabling quality, to deal with difficult questions about physical time, with unprecedented clarity and without paradoxes "This book is unique and exceptional in dealing with the notion of physical time rigorously, both logically and empirically. The central theme is the intimate relation between physical time and cosmic gravity. It establishes and explains, in an accessible and systematic manner, the one crucial physical fact that has been missed in the development of modern physics--that the enormous gravity of the matter and energy in the universe is the entire controller and cause of the relativistic flow of time. The material in the book is accurate and free of the ambiguities and imprecision that is common in the discussion of time and its modifications (dilation), synchronization of clocks, and simultaneity. The contents go beyond the current theories of relativity that fail to incorporate the cosmic gravity in their structure. The discussion of clocks in satellite navigational systems is the most complete and accurate. The book offers several new insights and results about physical time, and it is the only available treatise on the complete physical truth about time. The contents are addressed to a wide range of readers, from general readers to experienced researchers in physics, metrology, and precision chronometry. The content appeals well to philosophers and historians of physics as well. This book has the enabling quality, to deal with difficult questions about physical time, with unprecedented clarity and without paradoxes" -- back cover.