Unification of Gravity and Electromagnetism and Cosmology

TL;DR

This paper proposes a unified geometric theory of gravity and electromagnetism using a metric-affine manifold, explaining dark energy, dark matter phenomena, and electromagnetic properties of astrophysical bodies.

Contribution

It introduces a novel unified framework based on a $U_4$ manifold linking gravity and electromagnetism through torsion, modifying Einstein's equations and explaining various cosmological phenomena.

Findings

Modified Einstein equations include vacuum energy and scalar fields.

Explains dark energy and dark matter-like effects.

Accounts for the gyromagnetic ratio of astrophysical bodies.

Abstract

It is first argued that radiation by a uniformly accelerated charge in flat space-time indicates the need for a unified geometric theory of gravity and electromagnetism. Such a theory, based on a metric-affine $U_4$ manifold, is constructed with the torsion pseudo-vector $\Gamma_\mu$ linking gravity and electromagnetism. This conceptually simple extension results in (i) Einstein's equations being modified by a vacuum energy $\Gamma_\mu\Gamma_\nu$ and a scalar field $\Gamma = \Gamma^\mu\Gamma_\mu$ whose zero-mode is a cosmological constant $\Lambda$ representing `dark energy', (ii) most of the salient features of `dark matter'-like phenomena, (iii) a modified electrodynamics satisfying Heaviside duality, (iv) a finite and small Casimir Effect, and at the same time, (v) the empirical Schuster-Blackett-Wilson relation for the amazingly universal gyromagnetic ratio of slowly rotating, neutral astrophysical bodies.