8. Stephan J. G. Gift, A Negation of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity and a Return to Newtonian Gravitation

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Volume 14: Pages 320-328, 2001

A Negation of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity and a Return to Newtonian Gravitation

Stephan J. G. Gift

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad, West Indies

Einstein's equivalence principle, the idea underpinning the general theory of relativity (GTR), is examined and shown to be invalid. As a result, GTR collapses and can no longer be considered a viable physical theory. A new gravitational theory that can be considered a quantum extension of Newtonian gravitation is presented. It is based on a modified form of local gauge invariance in which the fermion field phase is allowed to vary with time but not space. This leads to the introduction of a new gauge field, the quanta of which are massless spin0 particles that propagate at light speed. They are interpreted as gravitons, which mediate the gravitational force in a Newtonian framework and remove the objectionable actionatadistance feature of Newtonian gravity. The associated equation of motion yields the universal law of gravitation for the static case and, because of retardation effects, gives rise to the precession of planetary orbits.

Keywords: general theory of relativity, theory of gravity, Newtonian gravitation, gauge theory, graviton, field equations, gravitational tests, unification, spin 0

Received: June 11, 2001; Published online: December 15, 2008