Minkowski space as a basis for a physical theory of gravitation (Q1065377)

The authors propose a version of gravitation theory based on the bimetric formalism of N. Rosen with a flat background metric \(\gamma_{ik}\) which is interpreted as a true spacetime metric while the Riemannian metric \(g_{ik}\) is considered as a sum, \(\gamma_{ik}+\Phi_{ik}\), where \(\Phi_{ik}\) is the gravitational field potential. \(\gamma_{ik}\) is not necessarily taken in Cartesian coordinates so that the corresponding covariant derivatives are to be used. The gravitational Lagrangian is that of Hilbert, and a divergence term is as usually extracted. The authors make a statement that ''in general relativity, the principle of relativity is not satisfied'' while in the bimetric approach, ''there is a principle of relativity, which states that it is not possible by any physical process (including gravitational processes) to establish whether one is in a state of rest or uniform rectilinear motion''. The auxiliary conditions on \(\Phi_{ik}\) are in fact those of harmonicity adapted to this bimetric approach. But the authors also impose a condition of asymptotic behaviour of \(\Phi_{ik}\) for insular systems and insist that this condition is a universal one thus excluding all but flat-three-space models in cosmology. In this case, there always exist all usual conservation laws of the special relativity [cf. also \textit{A. Papapetrou}, Proc. R. Ir. Acad., Sect. A 52, 11-23 (1948; Zbl 0037.421) though this author does not deviate from the standard interpretation of general relativity].