Mass-energy equivalence and the gravitational redshift: Does energy always have mass?

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Author: D'Abramo, Germano
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author D'Abramo, Germano
author_facet D'Abramo, Germano
contents One of the most widespread interpretations of the mass-energy equivalence establishes that not only can mass be transformed into energy (e.g., through nuclear fission, fusion, or annihilation) but that every type of energy also has mass (via the mass-energy equivalence formula). Here, we show that this is not always the case. With the help a few thought experiments, we show that, for instance, the electric potential energy of a charged capacitor should not contribute to the capacitor's gravitational rest mass (while still contributing to its linear momentum). That result is in agreement with the fact that light (ultimately, an electromagnetic phenomenon) has momentum but not rest mass.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2405_03694
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Mass-energy equivalence and the gravitational redshift: Does energy always have mass?
D'Abramo, Germano
General Physics
One of the most widespread interpretations of the mass-energy equivalence establishes that not only can mass be transformed into energy (e.g., through nuclear fission, fusion, or annihilation) but that every type of energy also has mass (via the mass-energy equivalence formula). Here, we show that this is not always the case. With the help a few thought experiments, we show that, for instance, the electric potential energy of a charged capacitor should not contribute to the capacitor's gravitational rest mass (while still contributing to its linear momentum). That result is in agreement with the fact that light (ultimately, an electromagnetic phenomenon) has momentum but not rest mass.
title Mass-energy equivalence and the gravitational redshift: Does energy always have mass?
topic General Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.03694