Mass Defect Effects in Atomic Clocks

Abstract

We consider some implications of the mass defect on the frequency of atomic transitions. We have found that some well-known frequency shifts (gravitational shift and motion-induced shifts such as: quadratic Doppler and micromotion shifts) can be interpreted as consequences of the mass defect in quantum atomic physics, i.e., without the need for the concept of time dilation used in special and general relativity theories. Moreover, we show that the inclusion of the mass defect leads to previously unknown shifts for clocks based on trapped ions.