On the Gravitational Time Delay Effect and the Curvature of Space

Starting from a sub microscopic point of view the gravitational time delay effect (the Shapiro effect) is described in detail. Two different microscopic approaches to the study of the photon delay caused by a gravitating body are examined: the variational procedure of classical mathematics and the fractal changes of the fundamental tessel- lattice of space. It is shown that only the second approach brings about a reasonable alteration to the photon path consistent with the experimental result. Namely, the gravitating body contracts cells of space and hence photons hopping from cell to cell run through a larger number of cells, which results in a lengthening of the whole photon path.