Photons and clocks

[Ver]

An idea

I have been messing about with this for a while now and would be interested to see if I can convince anyone it works. If I am wrong, please tell me why.

Start with an expanse of gravity free space. Photons from distant galaxys pass through. They all move at c.

Propagate a sphere of light from an event directly behind one of these photons. A photon from the event on a radian which is on the same heading will stay direcly behind indefinately. The propagating sphere of light is for reference.

Consider further a rapid series of events so that each new event stays concentric to the previous propagating sphere. The concentric point will be a datum point.

Now we use the original old photon to measure the speed of light in an inertial frame moving at half c and complete the exercise without disturbing the path of the photon.

On the inertial frame we hold a rule long face to the direction of travel. The length of the rule more than say one meter but the length does not matter, it could be substantialy more. We know the inertial half c observer will measure c but let us look closer.

Coincide the left hand face of the rule with the old photon and at the same point we create an event. We use one radian from this event which coincides with the direction of travel of this point of the rule. Let us allow the sphere to propagate a little but not enough for the sphere to pass the end of the rule.

We now have a picture. The radian from the event has propagated to a point in space. The left hand end of the rule has moved one half of this radian in the same direction because the frame is moving at one half of c and the rule can be drawn at right angles to this radian. The propagating sphere can be drawn as a full circle from the event and will intersect the rule. This intersection is where the old photon has progressed to.

The observer within the half c frame will see that the old photon has progressed from the start of the rule and has moved along the face of the rule. The outside observer will see that the old photon has gone from the event to the rule intersection with the propagating sphere. Both observers see the photon move along the face of the rule. We know the inertial half c observer will measure the old photon at c although it has completed a shorter journey. The half c frame clock will run slow and will compensate.

Enlarge the propagation in increments right to the end of the rule and the picure remains the same. Compare the trajectory of the frame to the trajectory of the old photon. The old photon does not move at right angles to the trajectory. After use the old photon can continue on as though it had never been used.

Introduce gravity to a simple example.

Place a rule long face to a source of gravity and measure the speed of light across the face of the rule. We know we will measure c as c and we also know that the greater the force of gravity, the slower the clock will run. If we consider the trajectory of the photon that was used as in the previous example, I believe we can say that a photon during its closest passing point to a source of gravity is moving at its slowest tangentialy. I believe that the Shapiro effect confirms this.

I believe one place we can find the fastest clock in the universe--is one remaining centered on a propagating sphere of light in gravity free space.

regards DR