Related papers: Salecker-Wigner-Karolyhazy Gedankenexperiment in l…
We critically discuss the measure of very short time intervals. By means of a Gedankenexperiment, we describe an ideal clock based on the occurrence of completely random events. Many previous thought experiments have suggested fundamental…
According to general relativity, clocks are the basic measuring devices needed to probe spacetime geometry. However, it is generally accepted that the mass of clocks capable of measuring small time intervals must be bounded from below. In…
Using a \emph{gedanken} experiment providing presumably a minimal inaccuracy the uncertainty contributions to the space-time measurement are precisely evaluated for clock and mirror respectively. The resulting expression of minimal…
We critically analyse and compare various recent thought experiments, performed by Amelino-Camelia, Ng et al., Baez et al., Adler et al., and ourselves, concerning the (thought)experimental accessibility of the Planck scale by space-time…
Time-like and space-like invariant space-time intervals are used to analyse measurements of spatial and temporal distances defined by two spatially-separated clocks. The time dilatation effect is confirmed, but not `relativity of…
The conventional discussion of apparent distortions of space and time in Special Relativity (the Lorentz-Fitzgerald Contraction and Time Dilatation) is extended by considering observations of : (i) moving objects of limited lifetime in…
In Einstein's gedankenexperiment for measuring space and time, an ensemble of clocks moving through curved spacetime measures geometry by sending signals back and forth, as in the global positioning system (GPS). Combining well-known…
We discuss time measurement in quantum gravity. Using general relativity for large distances and the uncertainty principle we find a minimum time interval of the order of the Planck time, therefore the uncertainty in time measurment is…
Inspired by the work of Wheeler among others, we have studied the problem of quantum measurements of space-time distances by applying the general principles of quantum mechanics as well as those of general relativity. Contrary to the…
A calculus based on pointer-mark coincidences is proposed to define, in a mathematically rigorous way, measurements of space and time intervals. The connection between such measurements in different inertial frames according to the Galilean…
In general relativity, the picture of spacetime assigns an ideal clock to each worldline. Being ideal, gravitational effects due to these clocks are ignored and the flow of time according to one clock is not affected by the presence of…
We show that quantum mechanics and general relativity imply the existence of a minimal length. To be more precise, we show that no operational device subject to quantum mechanics, general relativity and causality could exclude the…
Models of spontaneous wavefunction collapse explain the quantum-to-classical transition without invoking the von Neumann measurement postulate. Prominent frameworks, such as the Di\'osi-Penrose (DP) and Continuous Spontaneous Localization…
Ng and van Dam have argued that quantum theory and general relativity give a lower bound of L^{1/3} L_P^{2/3} on the uncertainty of any distance, where L is the distance to be measured and L_P is the Planck length. Their idea is roughly…
The successful miniaturization of extremely accurate atomic clocks invites prospects for satellite missions to perform precise timing experiments. This will allow effects predicted by general relativity to be detected in Earth's…
It is shown in the present note that the degree of the complexity of the time-reading process of the Salecker--Wigner clock depends on the size of the clock. This dependence leads to a relation between the size and the accuracy of the…
This paper puts forward a broad critical analysis of the concept of physical time. Clock effect is conceived as a consequence of the variation of the gravitational or pseudo gravitational potential, and it is remarked that only some real…
We show that no device or gedanken experiment is capable of measuring a distance less than the Planck length. By "measuring a distance less than the Planck length" we mean, technically, resolve the eigenvalues of the position operator to…
Quantum theory and relativity offer different conceptions of time. To explore the conflict between them, we study a quantum version of the light-clock commonly used to illustrate relativistic time dilation. This semiclassical model combines…
By proposing a paradox between the impossibility of superluminal signal transfer and the normalization condition of wavefunctions, we predict that when a change happens to the conditions that determining the status of a quantum system, the…