Doing without the equivalence principle

• Autor(a) principal: Aldrovandi, R. [UNESP]
• Data de Publicação: 2006
• Outros Autores: Pereira, J. G. [UNESP], Vu, K. H. [UNESP]
• Tipo de documento: Capítulo de livro
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UNESP
• Texto Completo: http://dx.doi.org/10.1142/9789812704030_0142; http://hdl.handle.net/11449/228220

In Einstein's general relativity, geometry replaces the concept of force in the description of the gravitation interaction. Such an approach rests on the universality of free-fall– the weak equivalence principle–and would break down without it. On the other hand, the teleparallel version of general relativity, a gauge theory for the translation group, describes the gravitational interaction by a force similar to the Lorentz force of electromagnetism, a non-universal interaction. It is shown that, similarly to the Maxwell's description of electromagnetism, the teleparallel gauge approach provides a consistent theory for gravitation even in the absence of the weak equivalence principle.