Mass, Time, and Clock (Twin) Paradox in Relativity Theory

Abstract

The paper is intended to clarify operational meaning of mass and time quantities as main characteristics of an atomic clock, which is considered a quantum oscillator in association with the de Broglie wave concept. The specification of the concept of clock in quantum terms reflects the idea of relativistic mass and time complementarity, which is important for avoiding ambiguity of such notions as ``time rate'', ``time record'', and ``elapsed time'' under relativistic conditions. We used this approach in SRT Kinematics to conduct a detailed analysis of the clock paradox; results are discussed. It is also shown that in SRT Dynamics the proper mass must be acted by Minkowski force, what results in a clock rate variation.