Abstract
THE Mössbauer effect allows of some of the most direct tests of certain simple relativistic predictions, and in this connexion we wish to report on the progress of some experiments similar in principle to those first reported by Hay, Schiffer, Cranshaw and Egelstaff1,2. These authors measured the relativistic frequency shift between a cobalt-57 source of 14.4-keV γ-radiation, near the centre of a rotating disk, and a resonant iron-57 absorber around the periphery of the disk. On spinning the disk the resonance absorption was found to decrease, giving increases in transmission of up to 6 per cent. This was shown to correspond to a relative frequency shift the magnitude of which agreed, to within an accuracy of about 2 per cent, with that predicted by the relativistic expression (Δν/ν) = (va2 − vs2)/2c2, where va and vs are the velocities of the absorber and source. This expression may be obtained either in terms of the time dilatation of special relativity or in terms of the pseudo-gravitational potential difference between source and absorber.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Hay, H. J., Schiffer, J. P., Cranshaw, T. E., and Egelstaff, P. A., Phys. Rev. Letters, 4, 165 (1960).
Hay, H. J., Second Intern. Conf. Mössbauer Effect, 225 (1961).
Champeney, D. C., and Moon, P. B., Proc. Phys. Soc., 77, 350 (1961).
Moller, C., Proc. Roy. Soc., A, 270, 306 (1962).
Champeney, D. C., Isaak, G. R., and Khan, A. M., Second Intern. Conf. Mössbauer Effect, 228 (1961).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
CHAMPENEY, D., ISAAK, G. & KHAN, A. Measurement of Relativistic Time Dilatation using the Mössbauer Effect. Nature 198, 1186–1187 (1963). https://doi.org/10.1038/1981186b0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/1981186b0
- Springer Nature Limited
This article is cited by
-
A matter of time
Nature Physics (2007)
-
The Lorentz time transformations incompatible with Einstein’s and Lorentz’s theories and experiments
Acta Physica Hungarica (1986)
-
Nonrelativistic para-Lorentzian mechanics
Foundations of Physics (1981)
-
Einstein dynamics without special-relativistic kinematics
Foundations of Physics (1980)
-
Some speculations on a causal unification of relativity, gravitation, and quantum mechanics
International Journal of Theoretical Physics (1976)