Göttingen 2025 – scientific programme

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GR: Fachverband Gravitation und Relativitätstheorie

GR 3: Rel. Geodesy

GR 3.1: Talk

Tuesday, April 1, 2025, 14:15–14:35, ZHG007

Synchronization and Simultaneity in Geodesy — •Bennet Grützner — ZARM, Universität Bremen

A crucial task in geodesy is the synchronization of extended clock networks. For synchronization of these networks a transitive, global notion of simultaneity is needed. As is standard in geodesy and astrophysics, the time coordinate is most commonly used to provide a foliation of space-time into hypersurfaces of simultaneity. Here, we look at the mathematical background and explore the most general formulation of simultaneity in general relativity, extending the concepts used so far. In particular, the differences between time coordinates and synchronization coordinates will be discussed, including some counter-intuitive examples, as well as applications in geodesy such as synchronization with ACES on the ISS.

Keywords: Geodesy; Synchronization; Simultaneity; Clock; Foliation