Positive Mass in General Relativity Without Energy Conditions

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that negative masses in classical general relativity are dynamically unstable across various models, providing evidence that positive mass is a natural outcome without relying on quantum energy conditions.

Contribution

It shows that negative-mass configurations are inherently unstable in classical general relativity, offering a new perspective on why observed masses are positive.

Findings

Negative-mass stars are dynamically unstable.

Barotropic negative-mass stars are unstable.

Supports positivity of mass without quantum energy conditions.

Abstract

A long-standing problem in physics is why observed masses are always positive. While energy conditions in quantum field theory can partly answer this problem, in this paper we find evidence that classical general relativity abhors negative masses, without the need for quantum theory or energy conditions. This is done by considering many different models of negative-mass "stars" and showing they are dynamically unstable. A fortiori, we show that any barotropic negative-mass star must be dynamically unstable.