Francis X. Vacanti
Francis X. Vacanti | |
|---|---|
| Known for | Papers proposing negative gravitational energy in a Maxwell-like theory of gravitation |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Gravitation, theoretical physics |
Francis X. Vacanti is a researcher known for published work challenging aspects of general relativity's treatment of gravitational energy. He is listed in The Worldwide List of Dissident Scientists.
Work
Vacanti co-authored papers with J. Chauveheid in the journal Physics Essays arguing for a "Maxwell-like" theory of gravitation. In "Is Radiation of Negative Energy Possible?" (Physics Essays, Vol. 15, No. 4, 2002) the authors contend that, contrary to general relativity, a Maxwell-like theory implies negative gravitational energy in vacuum and in gravitational waves, and they argue that general relativity should exhibit this negativeness in order to recover Newtonian gravity as a first approximation. A related paper, "A new proposal for gravitational radiation" (Physics Essays, 2001), addresses magneto-gravitation and the possibility of negative energy for gravity waves. These proposals fall outside the mainstream framework of general relativity.