Bonn 2020 – scientific programme

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GR: Fachverband Gravitation und Relativitätstheorie

GR 16: Alternative Approaches

GR 16.5: Talk

Friday, April 3, 2020, 10:00–10:15, H-HS IX

Matter-energy equivalence and the origin of mass — •Grit Kalies — HTW University of Applied Sciences Dresden

By connecting the energy concepts of thermodynamics and special theory of relativity it can be shown that Einstein's interpretation of the well-known equation E = mc^2 as complete mass-energy equivalence results as a special case for moving point masses, but contradicts the first and second laws of thermodynamics. Thermodynamics suggests matter-energy equivalence with an energetic distinction between matter and mass [1, 2].

Today, the concepts of the origin of mass are fragmented into many ideas, including the suggestion of the Higgs mechanism. By means of matter-energy equivalence, the origin of mass can be deduced from only one principle, which corresponds to the basic rule of economy and elimination of unnecessary assumptions. The empirically very precisely confirmed equivalence of inert and heavy mass can, for the first time, not only be described, but explained [2]. The far-reaching consequences for fundamental concepts of theoretical physics (because special relativity and the associated idea of spacetime form a basis for the standard models of particle physics and cosmology) will be outlined.

[1] G. Kalies: Matter-Energy Equivalence, Zeitschrift für Physikalische Chemie, 2019, DOI: 10.1515/zpch-2019-1487. [2] G. Kalies: Vom Energieinhalt ruhender Körper: Ein thermodynamisches Konzept von Materie und Zeit, De Gruyter, Berlin, 2019.