GPS Time Correction: An L-ARF Analysis Compared with Special Relativity
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: This article analyzes the time correction applied to satellite clocks in the Global Positioning System (GPS) using two independent approaches. The first is the standard Special Relativity (SR) approach, in which the correction follows from the Lorentz factor γ and amounts to approximately −7.2 µs per day at the orbital speed of a GPS satellite. The second is the L-ARF approach (Light – Absolute Reference Framework), a classical framework in which light serves as the absolute reference in the universe and time intervals are determined exclusively from the physical path length traveled by light signals and the speed of light c. From this foundation, the relativity factor rf(v,v') follows as a natural consequence. It is shown that the mean value of the L-ARF relativity factor satisfies √rf_mean = γ, and that both approaches yield identical fractional frequency shifts. This agreement demonstrates that the GPS time correction is not uniquely predicted by SR, but follows from any consistent operational treatment of light signal propagation. The article also analyzes the geometric foundation of GPS positioning and discusses the common misconception that SR is indispensable for GPS to function.
Author: Slowak, Jan
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7162521741
Cites:
Cited by:
Related to: