Mass-Energy-Momentum: Only there Because of Spacetime?

I describe how relativistic field theory generalizes the paradigm property of material systems, the possession of mass, to the requirement that they have a mass-energy-momentum density tensor Tmn associated with them. I argue that Tmn does not represent an intrinsic property of matter. For it will b...

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Main Author: Lehmkuhl, D
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: 2011
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author Lehmkuhl, D
author_facet Lehmkuhl, D
author_sort Lehmkuhl, D
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description I describe how relativistic field theory generalizes the paradigm property of material systems, the possession of mass, to the requirement that they have a mass-energy-momentum density tensor Tmn associated with them. I argue that Tmn does not represent an intrinsic property of matter. For it will become evident that the definition of Tmn depends on the metric field gmn in a variety of ways. Accordingly, since gmn represents the geometry of spacetime itself, the properties of mass, stress, energy, and momentum should not be seen as intrinsic properties of matter, but as relational properties that material systems have only in virtue of their relation to spacetime structure. © 2011 The Author.
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spelling oxford-uuid:255730e8-0c8e-496c-84f2-e46fa8f6dc3e2022-03-26T11:55:11ZMass-Energy-Momentum: Only there Because of Spacetime?Journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:255730e8-0c8e-496c-84f2-e46fa8f6dc3eEnglishSymplectic Elements at Oxford2011Lehmkuhl, DI describe how relativistic field theory generalizes the paradigm property of material systems, the possession of mass, to the requirement that they have a mass-energy-momentum density tensor Tmn associated with them. I argue that Tmn does not represent an intrinsic property of matter. For it will become evident that the definition of Tmn depends on the metric field gmn in a variety of ways. Accordingly, since gmn represents the geometry of spacetime itself, the properties of mass, stress, energy, and momentum should not be seen as intrinsic properties of matter, but as relational properties that material systems have only in virtue of their relation to spacetime structure. © 2011 The Author.
spellingShingle Lehmkuhl, D
Mass-Energy-Momentum: Only there Because of Spacetime?
title Mass-Energy-Momentum: Only there Because of Spacetime?
title_full Mass-Energy-Momentum: Only there Because of Spacetime?
title_fullStr Mass-Energy-Momentum: Only there Because of Spacetime?
title_full_unstemmed Mass-Energy-Momentum: Only there Because of Spacetime?
title_short Mass-Energy-Momentum: Only there Because of Spacetime?
title_sort mass energy momentum only there because of spacetime
work_keys_str_mv AT lehmkuhld massenergymomentumonlytherebecauseofspacetime