Detection of the gravitomagnetic clock effect

TL;DR

This paper defines the gravitomagnetic clock effect, linking it to world line topology, and shows its dependence on the angular momentum of a central body, with numerical estimates for solar system objects.

Contribution

It provides a proper definition of the gravitomagnetic clock effect and relates it to the topology of world lines, with specific focus on weak field and spherical symmetry.

Findings

The clock effect is proportional to the angular momentum of the central body.

Numerical estimates suggest the effect is more detectable around Jupiter.

The effect is rooted in the topology of world lines with closed space projections.

Abstract

The essence of the gravitomagnetic clock effect is properly defined showing that its origin is in the topology of world lines with closed space projections. It is shown that, in weak field approximation and for a spherically symmetric central body, the loss of synchrony between two clocks counter-rotating along a circular geodesic is proportional to the angular momentum of the source of the gravitational field. Numerical estimates are presented for objects within the solar system. The less unfavorable situation is found around Jupiter.