![]() For the clocks used in the experiments, one second is equal to more than a million billion vibrations. In a second experiment, the team measured the effects of relativity on the time-keeping aluminum atoms inside the clocks.Ītomic clocks work based on the number of vibrations an electrically charged atom experiences as it moves between two energy levels. Using two ultraprecise atomic clocks, Chou and colleagues showed that lifting one clock by only about a foot (33 centimeters) above the other creates enough of a gravitational difference that the higher clock ticks slightly faster. The pull of gravity on an object increases closer to the center of mass, so an object on Earth's surface actually experiences a slightly stronger pull than one floating in the atmosphere. (Related: "Every Black Hole Contains Another Universe?")īut the new study, appearing in this week's issue of the journal Science, shows that these effects are also measurable here on Earth's surface. The time-slowing effects of acceleration and gravity have been demonstrated in experiments that compare real clocks on Earth's surface with timepieces in high-flying spacecraft and satellites, such as ones used for global positioning systems. "So if you are experiencing stronger gravitational pull, then your time is going to go slower," said study co-author James Chin-Wen Chou of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The equations of general relativity also predict that gravity similarly slows down, or dilates, time. This theory is the basis of a famous thought experiment known as the twin paradox, in which a twin sibling who travels on a fast-moving rocket ship would return home younger than the other twin. As a result, a clock speeding away from an observer will appear to tick slower than a stationary clock. Specifically, Einstein's special theory of relativity predicts that time does not flow at a steady rate, and it can be affected by acceleration. (Related: "Einstein's Gravity Confirmed on a Cosmic Scale.") The finding is linked to the strange, time-bending effects of Albert Einstein's theories of relativity, which for the first time have been shown to affect earthbound distances and time frames. Like a vignette from The Twilight Zone, new research shows that you'll age slightly faster standing on a staircase than you do on the floor below. ![]() Get a sneak peek at Academy Award-winning actor Geoffrey Rush and newcomer Johnny Flynn as Nobel Prize-winning physicist Albert Einstein, in National Geographic's global event series GENIUS, coming in April 2017.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |