A re-interpretation of the concept of mass and of the relativistic mass-energy relation

TL;DR

This paper reinterprets mass and the mass-energy relation by linking energy to inertia through Minkowski spacetime, proposing a new measurement unit based on de Broglie frequency and challenging traditional concepts of gravitational mass.

Contribution

It offers a novel perspective that treats mass as a measure of energy, eliminating the need for gravitational mass and suggesting a new measurement unit based on atomic frequency.

Findings

Energy expresses inertia of a body.

Gravitational mass becomes unnecessary, replaced by energy.

Proposes a new measurement unit based on de Broglie frequency.

Abstract

For over a century the definitions of mass and derivations of its relation with energy continue to be elaborated, demonstrating that the concept of mass is still not satisfactorily understood. The aim of this study is to show that, starting from the properties of Minkowski spacetime and from the principle of least action, energy expresses the property of inertia of a body. This implies that inertial mass can only be the object of a definition - the so called mass-energy relation - aimed at measuring energy in different units, more suitable to describe the huge amount of it enclosed in what we call the "rest-energy" of a body. Likewise, the concept of gravitational mass becomes unnecessary, being replaceable by energy, thus making the weak equivalence principle intrinsically verified. In dealing with mass, a new unit of measurement is foretold for it, which relies on the de Broglie frequency of atoms, the value of which can today be measured with an accuracy of a few parts in 10^9.