Clock Synchronisation in Inertial Frames and Gravitational Fields

TL;DR

This paper examines the theoretical foundations of clock synchronization in inertial and gravitational contexts, demonstrating their equivalence to special relativity and discussing implications for precise clock synchronization experiments.

Contribution

It shows the conventionality of clock synchronization does not hold in accelerated systems and gravitational fields, providing new insights into synchronization in non-static metrics.

Findings

Theories based on different clock synchronizations are equivalent to special relativity in experiments.

Conventionality of clock synchronization is invalid in accelerated and gravitational fields.

Implications for precise clock synchronization on Earth are discussed.

Abstract

The special relativistic test theory of Mansouri and Sexl is sketched. Theories based on different clock synchronisations are found to be equivalent to special relativity, as regards experimental results. The conventionality of clock synchronisation is shown not to hold, by means of an example, in a simple accelerated system and through the principle of equivalence in gravitational fields, especially when the metric is not static. Experimental implications on very precise clock synchronisation on earth are discussed.