General Light Clock Visualizes General Relativity

Tao Jia

Abstract: The concept of general light clock is proposed. A light clock is composed of two mirrors (which are mathematically abstracted as two points) and a light signal that travels between the two mirrors. From the point of view of the stationary light clock, the trajectory of the light ray 'seen' by the two mirrors of a moving light clock can be a straight line or a curved line; the shape of the light ray is a signature of the state of the motion of the light clock. The shape of the light trajectory is a straight line in inertial frames, and the shape of the light trajectory is a curved line in non-inertial frames in most cases. This means that light bending may appear in non-inertial frames. Four specific examples of light bending in four different non-inertial frames are given.

Keywords: general light clock, trajectory, straight line, curved line, light bending, inertial frame, non-inertial frame