Proper time of the observer resting in CMB reference frame

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of proper time as it relates to an observer in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) reference frame, particularly in the context of the Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) metric. Participants explore the implications of cosmological time dilation, the nature of time in relation to energy density, and the comparison of time intervals across different events.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that the time variable in the FLRW metric corresponds to the proper time of an observer who has been at rest in the CMB reference frame since its emission, while others clarify that it actually refers to the time since the singularity, which predates the CMB emission by several hundred thousand years.
  • There is a question about whether the FLRW metric indicates that this observer's time ran slower in the past due to cosmological time dilation, with some participants arguing against this interpretation.
  • One participant emphasizes that cosmological time dilation does not imply that time in the past passed more slowly, but rather that distant events appear to pass more slowly due to the universe's expansion.
  • Another participant challenges the notion of time running slower in regions of higher energy density, referencing the Einstein field equations and suggesting that time always passes at the same rate.
  • There are discussions about the comparison of time intervals between different events, with some participants arguing that without simultaneous observations, such comparisons are not meaningful.
  • The concept of gravitational time dilation is also brought up, with references to how it relates to the broader discussion of time measurement and comparison.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the implications of cosmological time dilation and the nature of time in relation to energy density. There is no consensus on whether time in the past ran slower or how to meaningfully compare time intervals across different events.

Contextual Notes

Participants note that discussions around time dilation often involve assumptions about simultaneity and the nature of measurements, which complicates comparisons between different time intervals.

  • #61
PeterDonis said:
In any case, none of this is even relevant to the claim you are actually trying to defend, which is that there is some meaningful concept of "time dilation" between an observer now and that same observer in the distant past. Every actual example you've given has been about comparisons between different observers at events on their worldlines that are spacelike separated. But the claim you're making is about comparisons between events on the same worldline, which are timelike separated. There is simply no meaningful concept of "time dilation" that even applies to such a case.
Is she talking crap?
Indeed, the two things, redshift and time dilation, necessarily go together. Think about it this way, if you have a wave you could use each crest of the wave as a tick of a clock. Now if the wave shifts to the red, it stretches, and those time markers move apart. It’s a direct consequence of Einstein’s theory of general relativity. And yes, this time-dilation is the same effect that slows down time near a black hole. You see, if you are near a black hole and you want to send a signal to someone far away, then the signal needs to escape, so it has to work against the pull of gravity. But it can’t slow down because light always moves with, well, the speed of light. So rather than slowing down, the light instead loses energy, and that means that its frequency becomes smaller and the wavelength longer. It gets redshifted. The closer to the horizon you are when you send the signal, the more it gets redshifted. But as we just discussed, you can think of the crests of the wave like ticks of a clock. So this also means that the duration between the ticks becomes longer. Indeed, if you send a signal from the horizon exactly, it can’t escape at all. This means if someone is falling into a black hole, for the faraway observer it seems like their image gets increasingly redder and is moving slower an slower. It's like watching paint dry, but in space. It’s a fascinating consequence of Einstein’s theory.
 
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  • #62
ongoer said:
Is she talking crap?
She is providing a compelling example of why the forum has its rule about acceptable sources: peer-reviewed publication and standard textbooks only.

We reminded you of this rule back in post #14 of this thread. Don’t violate it again.

And be aware that your reliance on these sources is getting in the way of your understanding.
 
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  • #63
Nugatory said:
She is providing a compelling example of why the forum has its rule about acceptable sources: peer-reviewed publication and standard textbooks only.

We reminded you of this rule back in post #14 of this thread. Don’t violate it again.

And be aware that your reliance on these sources is getting in the way of your understanding.
Doesn't it bother you, that she has a PhD?
 
  • #64
ongoer said:
Doesn't it bother you, that she has a PhD?
Writing good popularizations and doing good science are different skills.
And do remember that a popularization is by definition going to simplify and cut corners; it is never a substitute for a real textbook or peer-reviewed paper.
 
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  • #65
Nugatory said:
Writing good popularizations and doing good science are different skills.
And do remember that a popularization is by definition going to simplify and cut corners; it is never a substitute for a real textbook or peer-reviewed paper.
Like those two on arxiv, which thoughtlessly use the "cosmological time dilation" expression in their titles and don't clarify it.

What does g00 element of the Schwarzschild metric tensor tell us?
 
  • #66
ongoer said:
Like those two on arxiv, which thoughtlessly use the "cosmological time dilation" expression in their titles and don't clarify it.
That's false: both articles you cited clarify in the same abstract what they specifically mean by "cosmological time dilation". Note:

https://arxiv.org/abs/2306.04053
"We present a precise measurement of cosmological time dilation using the light curves of 1504 type Ia supernovae from the Dark Energy Survey spanning a redshift range 0.1≤z≤1.2. We find that the width of supernova light curves is proportional to(1+z), as expected for time dilation due to the expansion of the Universe."

https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.05050
"A fundamental prediction of relativistic cosmologies is that, due to the expansion of space, observations of the distant cosmos should be time dilated and appear to run slower than events in the local universe."
 
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  • #67
Jaime Rudas said:
That's false: both articles you cited clarify in the same abstract what they specifically mean by "cosmological time dilation". Note:

https://arxiv.org/abs/2306.04053
"We present a precise measurement of cosmological time dilation using the light curves of 1504 type Ia supernovae from the Dark Energy Survey spanning a redshift range 0.1≤z≤1.2. We find that the width of supernova light curves is proportional to(1+z), as expected for time dilation due to the expansion of the Universe."

https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.05050
"A fundamental prediction of relativistic cosmologies is that, due to the expansion of space, observations of the distant cosmos should be time dilated and appear to run slower than events in the local universe."
1. It doesn't tell you, that time didn't run slower in the past.
2. "Appear" - that's your argument.

The same question which I asked @Nugatory:
What does g00 element of the Schwarzschild metric tensor tell us?
 
  • #68
@Jaime Rudas I don't have a problem with "cosmological time dilation" expression used in these papers. You all have it.
Like those two on arxiv, which thoughtlessly use the "cosmological time dilation" expression in their titles and don't clarify it.
That was irony.
 
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  • #69
ongoer said:
Like those two on arxiv, which thoughtlessly use the "cosmological time dilation" expression in their titles and don't clarify it.
You will have noticed that no one has objected to either of these papers as references, and @Ibix even linked the earlier discussion here of one of them. They aren't popularizations.

Both are clear that they are comparing the proper time between two emission events with the proper time between two reception events, analogous to the first case I considered in post #21 above. It's an open question whether that should be called "cosmological time dilation" because that phrase invites confusion (as witness this thread).... but whatever they call it, it is clear what they mean by the term and that it does not support what you're trying to do in post #3 and following.
What does g00 element of the Schwarzschild metric tensor tell us?
It tells us that Schwarzschild coordinate time corresponds to proper time only at infinite distance from the center of mass.
 
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  • #70
The question in the thread title has been answered - in post #2! - and the subsequent discussion has been informative but is reaching the point of diminishing returns so this thread is closed.

As with all such thread closures, we can reopen it on request for additional comments if there is more to say... but not to repeat points that have already been made.
 
Last edited:
  • #71
ongoer said:
Doesn't it bother you, that she has a PhD?
As an additional note: this is an argument from authority and should not carry any weight in an actual scientific discussion. Here at PF, in any case, we look at the actual substance of what is being said, not the credentials of who is saying it.

For an example of me pointing out an error in a popular book written by one of the most famous physicists of the 20th century, see here:

https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/block-universe-refuting-common-argument/
 

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