Matter and space-time
[2010-08-04]Does matter generate space?
A little while ago I was reading "You Are Here: A Portable History of the Universe" by Christopher Potter, and it got me thinking ...
... and I'm sure there must be other people who have thought the same thing, and there must be a reason why this is not possible. I just don't know enough to know what that reason is.
So, what if matter does not bend space-time? What if it generates it? Or perhaps both?
This would still result in curvature. It would also result in the expansion of the universe. It would link mass and space. One difference would be that gravity is actually stronger / the curvature is actually greater, than we thought, because bodies moving towards each other are passing through more space; both the space that existed before, and the space they are collectively generating.
One could calculate the rate at which mass generates space by dividing the rate of expansion of the universe by its mass.
One disproof, possibly, would be by observing matter travelling at near-light speeds. If the matter had to travel across the space it was generating (having much more mass at high speeds should imply it would generate more space) as well as the space that already existed, its combined speed would be greater than c, and would therefore not be possible.
On the other hand, possible evidence in favour of the idea would be an observation that two bodies separated by a distance great enough for the expansion of space would outweigh the effect of gravity / curvature of space-time would move apart.
Space would have to rearrange itself by spreading out. And this spreading out could not happen at a speed greater than c. Perhaps if matter generated space-time, it would have an effect observable in gravitational waves. Somehow. Maybe. ...
... So, either I could study relativity, fluid dynamics, and maybe some quantum mechanics for good measure. Or maybe someone out there could shoot down the idea immediately, and save me a whole lot of time. My e-mail address is below. I'd be most appreciative, especially if you use language, or layperson-kind-of analogies I might be able to understand. :-)
After an e-mail to, and a reply from, a friend of my cousin who knows A Whole Lot More about this kind of stuff than I do, and a quick meander through Wikipedia, I have gained a slightly better understanding of how very out of my depth I am here.
So maybe, if I ever find myself with a big chunk of free time on my hands, I'll take a correspondence course in something that might narrow that understanding gap. And until then, I'll work on letting go of the fantasy that I might accidentally stumble upon some insight that closes holes in theories that I will probably never comprehend.
☙
