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This research investigates how vacuum fluctuations in quantum field theory impose fundamental limits on time measurement at microscopic scales. By modeling clocks as finite-sized systems, the study demonstrates that proper time depends not only on an observer's trajectory but also on their internal structure and interaction with the quantum vacuum. In the long-time limit, these effects vanish, recovering standard special relativity, while revealing novel deviations in short-scale twin paradox scenarios.

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Finite-size clocks in quantum field theory and the twin paradox

arXivJuly 24, 20262 min read

arXiv:2512.06076v3 Announce Type: replace Abstract: Vacuum fluctuations in quantum field theory impose fundamental limitations on our ability to measure time at arbitrarily short scales. To investigate the impact of universal quantum field theory effects on observer-dependent time measurements, we introduce a clock model based on the vacuum decay probability of a finite-sized quantum system. This model defines an effective notion of proper time that depends on the microscopic properties of the clock and on how it samples vacuum fluctuations along its trajectory. We show that, in the long-time regime, this notion of time reduces to the usual proper time of special relativity. However, by studying a microscopic twin-paradox scenario, we find that, in general, time is not determined solely by the trajectory connecting two events, but also by how vacuum fluctuations interact with the internal structure of the clocks.

Abstract:Vacuum fluctuations in quantum field theory impose fundamental limitations on our ability to measure time at arbitrarily short scales. To investigate the impact of universal quantum field theory effects on observer-dependent time measurements, we introduce a clock model based on the vacuum decay probability of a finite-sized quantum system. This model defines an effective notion of proper time that depends on the microscopic properties of the clock and on how it samples vacuum fluctuations along its trajectory. We show that, in the long-time regime, this notion of time reduces to the usual proper time of special relativity. However, by studying a microscopic twin-paradox scenario, we find that, in general, time is not determined solely by the trajectory connecting two events, but also by how vacuum fluctuations interact with the internal structure of the clocks.

arXiv:2512.06076 [quant-ph]

(or arXiv:2512.06076v3 [quant-ph] for this version)

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