Empirical Detection of a Universal Temporal Inertia Scale from GNSS Satellite and Ground Atomic Clock Time Series

Empirical Detection of a Universal Temporal Inertia Scale from GNSS Satellite and Ground Atomic Clock Time Series | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Empirical Detection of a Universal Temporal Inertia Scale from GNSS Satellite and Ground Atomic Clock Time Series Takahiro Mitsui This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8546023/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Time is usually treated as a passive parameter in physical theories, yet its possible in trinsic dynamical structure has rarely been tested directly using observational data. Here we analyze long-term atomic clock time series from Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), including GEO, IGSO, and MEO satellites, together with ground-based GPS common-view (GGTTS) clock comparison data provided by the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT). Using autocorrelation analysis combined with block shuffle surrogate testing, we find a statistically significant and robust peak in temporal self-correlation at a delay of approximately 30–35 minutes. Remarkably, this characteristic timescale is independent of orbital altitude, gravitational environment, satellite type, and measurement system, and is consistently reproduced in both spaceborne and ground-based clocks. Surrogate tests confirm that the observed peak cannot be explained by random tem poral correlations or preprocessing artifacts. These results provide empirical evidence that physical time retains a finite memory of its immediate past, suggesting the existence of a universal temporal inertia scale. Thermodynamics and statistical mechanics Atomic and Molecular Physics Time series analysis Atomic clocks GNSS Temporal correlations Autocorrelation Surrogate data testing Time measurement Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Supplementary Files blockshufflesweeporbitGEO.png blockshuffle_sweep_orbit_GEO blockshufflesweeporbitIGSO.png blockshuffle_sweep_orbit_IGSO blockshufflesweeporbitMEO.png blockshuffle_sweep_orbit_MEO Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8546023","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":571163633,"identity":"f30302a7-ce85-4dff-8c2d-c2068c12a216","order_by":0,"name":"Takahiro 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Here we analyze long-term atomic clock time series from Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), including GEO, IGSO, and MEO satellites, together with ground-based GPS common-view (GGTTS) clock comparison data provided by the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT). Using autocorrelation analysis combined with block shuffle surrogate testing, we find a statistically significant and robust peak in temporal self-correlation at a delay of approximately 30–35 minutes. Remarkably, this characteristic timescale is independent of orbital altitude, gravitational environment, satellite type, and measurement system, and is consistently reproduced in both spaceborne and ground-based clocks. Surrogate tests confirm that the observed peak cannot be explained by random tem poral correlations or preprocessing artifacts. 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