Classical and Nonclassical Time Dilation for Quantum Clocks

TL;DR

This paper investigates how quantum clocks experience time dilation under different types of boosts, revealing deviations from classical predictions and identifying additional frequency shifts in ion traps.

Contribution

It demonstrates that quantum clocks do not exhibit classical time dilation under momentum boosts and introduces a theoretical model showing non-ideal behavior and extra frequency shifts.

Findings

Quantum clocks do not witness classical time dilation under momentum boosts.

Velocity boosts produce ideal behavior consistent with classical predictions.

Additional frequency shifts are observed in ion trap atomic clocks.

Abstract

Proper time, ideal clocks, and boosts are well understood classically, but subtleties arise in quantum physics. We show that quantum clocks set in motion via momentum boosts do not witness classical time dilation. However, using velocity boosts we find the ideal behaviour in both cases where the quantum clock and classical observer are set in motion. Without internal state dependent forces additional effects arise. As such, we derive observed frequency shifts in ion trap atomic clocks, indicating a small additional shift, and also show the emergence of non-ideal behaviour in a theoretical clock model.