The Chrono-Geometrical Structure of General Relativity and Clock Synchronization

Abstract

After a review of the chrono-geometrical structure of special relativity, where the definition of the instantaneous 3-space is based on the observer-dependent convention for the synchronization of distant clocks, it is shown that in a class of models of general relativity the instantaneous 3-space and the associated clock synchronization convention are dynamically determined by Einstein's equations. This theoretical framework is necessary to understand the relativistic effects around the Earth, to be tested with the ACES mission of ESA, and the implications for metrology induced by the accuracy of the new generation of atomic clocks.