Clock synchronization and isotropy of the one-way speed of light
Abstract
Experimental tests of the isotropy of the speed of light using one-way propagation are analyzed using a test theory of special relativity. It is shown that, when properly expressed in terms of measurable quantities, the results of such experiments are independent of the method of global synchronization of clocks. Experiments analyzed include a Jet Propulsion Laboratory time-of-flight measurement, a resonant two-photon absorption experiment, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory-NASA 1976 rocket gravitational redshift experiment, and M\"ossbauer rotor experiments. If the characteristic anisotropy is proportional to $\ensuremath{\alpha}w$, where $w$ is the velocity of the Earth relative to the cosmic background radiation, the best bound on $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ from these experiments is $|\ensuremath{\alpha}|<9\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}8}$.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
First-order tests in w/c based on comparison of clocks gave the best constraints on the Lorentz-invariance-violating parameter alpha until recently, with e.g. |alpha| <= 10^-6 obtained by comparing atomic clocks onboard GPS satellites with ground atomic clocks.
“Until recently, they gave the best constraints on the LI violating parameter α (see Ref. [14] for a review) with, e.g., jαj ≤ 10 -6 obtained by comparing atomic clocks' onboard GPS satellites with ground atomic clocks [15].”
From Test of Special Relativity Using a Fiber Network of Optical Clocks (2017) · cites this paper as [14]
One major limitation of the RMS framework is that it is purely kinematical, and the results cannot be simply mapped to dynamical frameworks.
“As noted in Ref. [14], one major limitation of the RMS framework is that it is purely kinematical, and our results cannot be simply mapped to dynamical frameworks.”
From Test of Special Relativity Using a Fiber Network of Optical Clocks (2017) · cites this paper as [14]
Many experiments have observables that depend on a, b, d but not on the synchronization procedure.
“Many experiments, such as those that measure the isotropy of the one way speed of light [275] or propagation of light around closed loops, have observables that depend on a, b, d but not on the synchronization procedure.”
From Modern Tests of Lorentz Invariance (2005) · cites this paper as [275]
The citation lists haven’t been fetched yet
References 22 · Cited by 122
- Authors
- Will, C. M.
- Affiliations
- Washington University in St. Louis (US)
- Corresponding author
- Will, Clifford M.
- ORCID
- Will, Clifford M.
- Venue
- Physical Review D
- Publisher
- American Physical Society (APS)
- Published
- 1992-01-15
- Volume
- 45
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 403-411
- ISSN
- 0556-2821 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2100950331
- Cited by
- 122
- References
- 22
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 2 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 18 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 9.87
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Physical review. D. Particles, fields, gravitation, and cosmology/Physical review. D. Particles and fields (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Relativity and Gravitational Theory
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Statistical and Nonlinear Physics › Noncommutative and Quantum Gravity Theories
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Cosmology and Gravitation Theories
- Keywords
- one-way speed of light, isotropy of the speed of light, clock synchronization, special relativity, time-of-flight measurement, two-photon absorption, gravitational redshift, cosmic background radiation
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
