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According to general relativity, time runs slower in stronger gravitational fields. From the perspective of a distant observer, a clock on the surface of a neutron star ticks more slowly than one in deep space.

If that's the case, does this also apply to the internal processes of a brain (or computer) in that gravitational field? Would neurons fire more slowly? Would thought — or computation — literally occur more slowly due to time dilation?

I'm not asking about perception from within the field (where everything feels normal), but from an outside observer looking at someone or something deep in a gravitational well. Would it appear that information processing is happening slower? And could this principle theoretically be used to delay computation — say, to "freeze" a computer's processing by placing it near a black hole?

Would love a GR-based explanation or clarification.

Chetti
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2 Answers2

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Processes that can be counted, and that are related to time, can witness the effect of the gravitational field on time.

Comparing the number of times $N$ of the some process happening on Earth, with the number of times $M$ of the same process happening inside a ship that travelled and stayed for a while close to a massive gravitational field before coming back, $N<M$.

The difficulties of saying that the process happened slower close to the massive gravitational field, is that any way to measure it locally would not confirm it. Any local clock would show that the process would be happening normally.

Claudio Saspinski
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Yes. Any process that happens over time is effected by strong gravitational fields. Neurons firing slower, computers work slower. All processes.

MWPhysics
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