Exploring Time Geometry in General Relativity

[MTd2]

http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=10310.php

From the press release:

" (Nanowerk News) Jay Pritzker Fellow in Theoretical Physics, Alexander F. Mayer, will present a talk at the American Physical Society (APS) Meeting in Denver, Colorado on Saturday, May 2, 2009 entitled "The Geometry of Time in General Relativity."
The talk will introduce a new and more accurate qualitative and quantitative model of relativistic time. Because time is fundamental to almost every aspect of physics, a fundamental change in the way physicists conceptualize time and model it mathematically implies important changes in almost every aspect of modern physics including astrophysics, cosmology and quantum mechanics. Because time and energy are intimately linked, this new and more accurate model of time also promises to yield new insights in nuclear physics, which may lead to a future practical breakthrough in energy production. The abstract of Mayer's APS talk can be reviewed at http://meetings.aps.org/Meeting/APR09/Event/102992.
In relativity, "time dilation" refers to the phenomenon whereby two "ideal clocks" in distinct reference frames, which record local time with perfect accuracy, do not agree with one another. While Albert Einstein famously recognized and accurately modeled two temporal relativistic phenomena (symmetric time dilation produced by relative motion of reference frames and asymmetric time dilation produced by reference frames having a difference in Newtonian gravitational potential), he overlooked a third phenomenon that is implied by the principles of relativity. This is symmetric time dilation produced by transverse displacement in an accelerated reference frame (e.g., a gravitational field).
This was first appreciated by Richard Feynman circa 1965, though he was apparently unable to produce a complete theory with a testable empirical prediction. Consequently, Feynman never published his ideas on the subject, only briefly introducing them to a few students at Caltech in the lecture hall. Mayer has advanced the theory so that one may now accurately predict an observed ubiquitous relativistic phenomenon associated with gravity (transverse gravitational redshift or "TGR"), which was not previously acknowledged as such. For example, the previously unexplained center-to-limb variation (CLV) of the solar wavelength and the marked excess redshift of white dwarf stars are now modeled as TGR, which is distinct from the Einstein gravitational redshift.
Other anomalies are also explained by Mayer's amendment to Einstein's relativity theory, including the unmodeled periodic annual and diurnal variations in the telemetry of the Pioneer-10 spacecraft accompanying its lower-than-predicted radial velocity. A modulation in the telemetry of NASA's 2009-2010 Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission due to the previously unknown relativistic phenomenon is precisely predicted by the new theory. Observation of the predicted LRO telemetry modulation over the spacecraft 's orbit would confirm the new theoretical ideas concerning the geometric nature of time in similar fashion to the confirmation of Einstein's prediction that the Sun's gravitational field would curve the path of starlight. Thus, LRO is unexpectedly poised to become among NASA's most important historical science missions. LRO is scheduled for launch as early as June 2009."

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The author gives away for download a copy of the 1st edition of the book here:
http://www.jaypritzker.org/pages/GetBook.html

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I always see decent and very interesting things from nanowerk, but this really doesn't sound nice. Surely, this sounds as extreme crackpotism, from the self descriptions on the author page. But I haven't taken a look at it yet (at work now). So, I give you people the links.

 

[AndyW]

Thank you for bringing this press release to our attention. I am always interested in new and innovative ideas in the field of physics. However, after reviewing the abstract of Alexander F. Mayer's talk and the information provided in the press release, I have some concerns about the claims being made.

While it is true that time is a fundamental concept in physics and there is ongoing research to better understand it, the language used in the press release seems to be making exaggerated claims about the potential impact of Mayer's work. Additionally, the fact that the author is offering a free download of their book on the subject raises some red flags.

I would encourage readers to approach this with caution and to critically evaluate the claims being made. As scientists, it is important for us to carefully review and analyze new ideas and theories before accepting them as valid.

Thank you for bringing this to our attention and I look forward to further discussion on this topic.

 

[Entropia]

Thank you for sharing this article and the associated materials. It is certainly intriguing to see someone proposing a new and more accurate model of relativistic time. However, I agree with your assessment that the author's self-description and claims may raise some red flags. It is important to approach any new scientific idea with a critical eye and thoroughly examine the evidence and support for it.

That being said, it is always exciting to see new theories and ideas being presented, especially in such a fundamental and widely studied area like general relativity. I will definitely take a look at the abstract and book provided, but I would also caution against jumping to conclusions or accepting the ideas without proper scrutiny. As scientists, it is our responsibility to thoroughly evaluate and test new theories before accepting them as valid.

I am also curious to see if other physicists have examined and commented on this theory, as collaboration and peer review are crucial components of the scientific process. Thank you again for bringing this to our attention and I look forward to exploring it further.