Gravity is not an entropic force
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Verlinde’s proposal that gravity arises as an entropic force is re-examined through two carefully constructed thermodynamic processes involving a gravitational field. We analyze how the field’s entropy responds when an object is moved relative to a gravitational source. Our central finding is that the entropy variation of the gravitational field depends crucially on the presence or absence of heat exchange between the field and the thermodynamic system. When no thermal equilibrium is established via heat transfer, the entropy of the gravitational field remains unchanged even as the object approaches the source. In contrast, when thermal equilibrium is maintained and heat exchange is allowed, the field’s entropy does vary with distance. Since gravity acts continuously regardless of thermal contact, we conclude that entropy change associated with gravity arises only during thermal equilibration, while under non-thermal equilibrium conditions, entropy remains unchanged. Thus, our results challenge the notion that gravity is fundamentally of entropic origin.
Source: Physics Letters B
Authors: Dongshan He, Jinfang Li, Qian Qiu, Qing-Yu Cai
Institutions: Xianyang Normal University, Hainan University
Language: English
Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7117706099