← All parts of this equation

Equation 105 · Part 2 · The Clock That Comes Back Wrong by Exactly Its Mass

Symbol c^2

M0c2Δτ/ℏM_0c^2\Delta\tau/\hbar
c2c^2

What this part means

The square of c: multiply c by itself.

Its job in the formula

c2c^2 is squared: multiply the underlying quantity by itself. The square is a mathematical operation, not a second independent variable.

The passage around this formula

The shared M0M_0c2c^2Δ\Deltaτ\tau/ℏ\hbar term, common to both arms, is an overall phase and drops out of any interference signal — consistent with the rule that only relative phase between branches is ever observable. What survives is a clock-visible term set entirely by the internal-energy difference, first proposed as an observable interferometric signature of general-relativistic proper time by Zych, Costa, Pikovski, and Brukner [ 10 ] , and later reframed explicitly as a quantum analogue of the twin paradox by Loriani and collaborators [ 11 ] .

Read this part in the article →

Learn the underlying idea

An exponent tells how a base is used in multiplication. In x³, x is the base and 3 is the exponent: x³ = x × x × x.

Open the illustrated exponents: repeated multiplication and powers guide →

See this notation across published equations →

Sources cited in the surrounding passage

These citations provide research context; check each source for the exact claim it supports.