A Relativistic Expanding Mass Model
—Albert Einstein
I imagine Maxwell’s Equations got Einstein thinking and the Equivalence Principle got him going on his amazing journey to Relativity. Standing on Newton’s giant shoulders he extended the geometry of gravity with a model of a malleable, by the presence of mass, "fabric" of the universe called "space-time." Both interpretations have survived copious predictive experimental support in their respective realms of validity, but both men conceded they had no idea of the mechanism of gravity.
—Albert Einstein
Here is another interpretation I think worthy of serious study: the Relativistic Expanding Mass (REM) model:
REM Postulates
It’s very simple.
1. The universe, including all mass, is expanding at an accelerating rate.
2. Expanding mass compresses the surrounding "fabric" of space which is expanding just enough slower to accord with Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity, with a few REM adjustments as per new experimental evidence or interpretation — black holes for example.
Experimental Evidence
1. Michelson–Morley, pre-Einstein, only showed that the proper speed of light in the reference frame of the measuring apparatus is the same in every direction. The aether is back!
2. An iPhone accelerometer app registers 0 acceleration in free fall, and upward g after settling from a crash with earth.
3. Icing on the cake: Galileo showed us that, neglecting air resistance, objects of different masses dropped at the same time hit the ground at the same time, preventing renormalization of gravity as a force like the other established forces and frustrating unification attempts. Perfect support of the REM model. Astronaut David Scott proved him right on the moon.
There will likely be more experimental evidence from REM research and new astronomical discrepancies from JWST and Dark Matter distributions.
—Albert Einstein
Galileo, Newton and Einstein were crackpots-until they weren't, along with just about every other world changer in history. Until you learn to think out of the box you just keep crashing into the walls.
In essence this reframes the interpretation of Einstein’s GR evidence as the expansion of mass distorting space such that rulers, and therefore clocks, in the distorted space look shorter and slower to the outside observer, but not to the observer in the measuring apparatus frame of reference which measures the same speed of light in all directions and most all other physics the same as always. Then the accelerating expansion of mass is in fact one way to interpret General Relativity, and the relative velocity of mass also accounts for Special Relativity. There is no such thing as Gravity, that spooky action at a distance! And all mass is inertial mass.
Implications
REM resolves the incompatibility between the Standard Model and Relativity (which should have already been put to bed by GR), and likely a host of other perplexing issues like black holes (no singularity), dark matter/energy, and who knows what else.
This begs the exploration of the nature of mass and space and how they interact. GR essentially says mass is bound kinetic energy (e=mc2), and QFT says that all particles are excitations, i.e. distortions, of their individual all-pervasive fields. We are left with all of physical reality existing as waves. Waves of what? How are particles bounded? Where does that energy come from?
Einstein and Newton apparently didn’t consider this interpretation, which is no more bizarre than Relativity itself or geocentricity in Copernicus’ time. It is astounding that Einstein nevertheless came up with his "space-time" interpretation with the same formulae without any idea of the mechanism.
The concept of "space-time" needs rethinking. There is only malleable space, i.e. the aether.
The distortion shortens rulers as viewed from a less distorted frame and thus slows time as measured by any material clock, so GPS has to compensate and clocks returned from orbit show the difference.
All mass is inertial mass. There is no such thing as Gravity! How’s that for restricting the range of gravity, an idea being strongly explored by many perplexed physicists.The graviton quest need take no more time, expense, and frustration and we can switch to exploring the nature of the aether and other REM questions.
New explorations of black holes, dark matter/energy, vacuum energy, the Higgs bath, the nature of the aether, the big bang, continuous creation, the probability that a multiverse of possibilities drives quantum probabilities up to the Plank scale, and who knows what else stand to revolutionize mainstream physics and get us moving forward again. We need a better interpretation of "gravity" which REM provides very simply.
Using the average diameter of atoms and earth and the average density of earth I have calculated a rough atomic radial expansion acceleration of ~1.2E-18, same as Hubble's law in meters per second squared if I’m not mistaken! Of course this will vary with different earth locations’ underlying density as already measured.
New light shines on (or maybe off) Quantum Field Theory and how it plays into the REM model in the sub-atomic realm. Even the structure and dynamics of the atom could depend on contained aether.
Speculations
What is the nature of space that it supports electromagnetic waves and other quantum fields and can be distorted by bound energy in motion?
The permittivity and permeability of free space are well known and determine the speed of electromagnetic waves, which is the same constant in any frame of reference, and so must also be subject to the distortion of mass expansion. There is something waving that has these properties. It would seem to be fluid, not rigid, or it could not wave. It would also have to be compressible as per Einstein’s equations. The associated physical constants are readily calculated, and would open a whole new field of physics.
Gravitons are no more, but there might be aether particles with similar properties. Newton wrote, "I do not know what this Aether is, but that if it consists of particles then they must be exceedingly smaller than those of Air, or even than those of Light: The exceeding smallness of its Particles may contribute to the greatness of the force by which those Particles may recede from one another, and thereby make that Medium exceedingly more rare and elastic than Air, and by consequence exceedingly less able to resist the motions of Projectiles, and exceedingly more able to press upon gross Bodies, by endeavoring to expand itself."
Another possibility is that the aether is a perfect fluid (zero viscosity). Two helium isotopes are perfect fluids near absolute zero and might have pervaded the universe since the “Big Bang.”
It will be necessary to explore mass expansion on every scale, beginning with sub-atomic and maybe even orders of magnitude smaller. The postulate is the same as Einstein’s, that all observers get the same experimental results in their own frames of reference at every scale.
My own high priority would be to look into vortices as bounding agents. They readily form in complex energized wave motions,like self-propelling smoke rings, can attract and repel one another, and could be the expanding mechanism of expanding mass. I think it very likely that the electromagnetic field is the only field (all is light) and the particle zoo results from concerts of vortices possibly underlying Schrödinger’s equation.
Then there is our understanding of “energy” which is a description of physical behavior that has been deemed a conserved quantity numerically when physical action is properly measured, not a physical thing, and underlies the foundations of every branch of physics.
What if cosmic “Inflation” and “Dark Energy” are in fact violations of the conservation of energy? It seems the universe is expanding without changing its density which implies energy is being created. From what? Does the tiny nerve impulse that fires your arm raising neurons come from a little vortex configuration created by your conscious intention?
Conclusion
Others have been exploring the return of aether and the expanding mass idea, but none I know of have caught on to Postulate 2. Instead they concoct speculative explanations of what’s wrong with Relativity or other unconvincing ideas. I salute them for their bold efforts and creative thinking and invite them, and anyone else interested, to collaborate on this model.
REM emerges as a compelling, visualizable, understandable model for the nature of Relativity that requires cooperative multi-disciplinary exploration in our endless quest to understand the nature of reality and improve it.
Of course a more compelling falsification of REM would also be progress and free me for other projects. Otherwise we are left with Occam’s Razor which has served us well over the centuries where and when rule by fear and force has given way to the proven efficacy of attracting trusted enthusiastic collaborators with a common vision.
Lots more. I Haven’t even mentioned the essential inclusion of the study of Consciousness in physics. I have made considerable progress in that realm over the years or I wouldn't even be writing this.
—Nikola Tesla
Ted King, Jr.
10-1-24
