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Title:
Does Relativistic Time Dilation Contribute to the Divergence of Universal Time and Ephemeris Time?
Authors:
Petit, Gérard; Klioner, Sergei
Affiliation:
AA(BIPM, Pavillon de Breteuil 92312 Sèvres, France ), AB(Lohrmann Observatory, Dresden Technical University, 01062 Dresden, Germany)
Publication:
The Astronomical Journal, Volume 136, Issue 5, pp. 1909-1912 (2008). (AJ Homepage)
Publication Date:
11/2008
Origin:
IOP
AJ Keywords:
celestial mechanics, Earth, reference systems, relativity, time
DOI:
10.1088/0004-6256/136/5/1909
Bibliographic Code:
2008AJ....136.1909P

Abstract

It is well known that two timescales, one based on the Earth's rotation and generically called Universal Time, and the other based on the Earth's orbital motion and generically called Ephemeris Time, diverge. The divergence is explained mostly by a secular slowing down of the Earth's rotation due to tidal braking. This paper investigates the question whether relativistic time dilation plays any role in this divergence, as it has sometimes been proposed. After a detailed analysis from the point of view of general relativity, we demonstrate that relativistic time dilation does not influence the divergence in question. We conclude that there is no reason to refute the present understanding of the secular variation of Earth's rotation.
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