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arXiv · 0902.1811

Light clocks in strong gravitational fields

Raffaele Punzi·Frederic P. Schuller·Mattias N. R. Wohlfarth
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Abstract

We argue that the time measured by a light clock operating with photons rather than classical light requires a refinement of the standard clock postulate in general relativity. In the presence of a gravitational field, already the one-loop quantum corrections to classical Maxwell theory affect light propagation and the construction of observers' frames of reference. Carefully taking into account these kinematic effects, a concise geometric expression for the time shown by a light clock is obtained. This result has far-reaching implications for physics in strong gravitational fields.

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Raffaele Punzi, Frederic P. Schuller, Mattias N. R. Wohlfarth. 2009-02-11. Light clocks in strong gravitational fields. https://arxiv.org/abs/0902.1811

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