{
  "abstract": "We develop a Mars-centered post-Newtonian framework relating barycentric and Mars-centered coordinate times, a conventional Mars surface timescale, and proper times of landed and orbiting clocks. Following the IAU reference system formalism, we introduce Areocentric Coordinate Time (TCA) and separate secular rates from zero-mean periodic terms. Contributions are retained above 5 × 10 ⁻¹⁸ in fractional frequency or 0.1 ps in one-way timing half-amplitude after mean-rate removal over specified intervals. Diagnostics use GMM-3 gravity through degree and order 120; exact point-mass Sun, Phobos, and Deimos tidal potentials with origin and dipole terms removed; and checks of stationary-model local c ⁻⁴ terms and external-perturber scales. Low-Mars-orbit, areostationary, Phobos- and Deimos-distance, and highly elliptical relay regimes are evaluated. In leading monopole estimates relative to the adopted surface scale, a clock in a 300 km near-polar circular orbit is slower by 4.56 μ s day ⁻¹ , while areostationary and Deimos-distance clocks are faster by 9.13 and 9.52 μ s day ⁻¹ , respectively. The direct Mars J ₂ timing line is about 87 ps at 300 km altitude and remains several picoseconds near areostationary radius for latitude-varying areosynchronous cases; perihelion-scaled subpicosecond solar tides require retention in high relay orbits. The hierarchy separates mandatory, regime-dependent, and subthreshold corrections. The result is a reference system and model-retention framework, not an operational Mars time ephemeris: realization requires consistent ephemerides, Mars orientation and seasonal-gravity models, spacecraft orbit-determination solutions, calibrated link delays, and covariance analysis. Seasonal low-degree gravity from CO ₂ exchange is a leading surface-realization term that must be modeled, monitored, or empirically bounded before subpicosecond surface timing can be claimed.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "California Institute of Technology"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 1,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Slava G. Turyshev",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-4255-9497"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bc3nj48rk3wdq.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3847/1538-4357/aeaae3",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "bc3nj48rk3wdq",
  "issns": [
    "1538-4357",
    "0004-637X"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aeaae3",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "feed-journal",
      "astronomy/general"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aeaae3/pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-29",
  "publisher": "American Astronomical Society",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bc3nj48rk3wdq.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:17Z",
      "native_id": "10.3847/1538-4357/aeaae3",
      "source": "feed-iop",
      "url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aeaae3"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:11Z",
      "native_id": "10.3847/1538-4357/aeaae3",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aeaae3"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "astronomy",
      "origin": "journal-openalex:3103|Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies",
      "subfield": "stellar"
    }
  ],
  "title": "High-precision Relativistic Timescales for Mars Surface and Orbital Clocks",
  "title_text": "High-precision Relativistic Timescales for Mars Surface and Orbital Clocks",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-31T00:20:43Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bc3nj48rk3wdq",
  "venue": "The Astrophysical Journal",
  "versions": [
    {
      "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2606.13726",
      "pid": "csy2yqhq4j06r",
      "relation": "preprint",
      "title": "High-Precision Relativistic Time Scales for Mars Surface and Orbital Clocks",
      "venue": "arXiv"
    }
  ]
}