Testing the Non-Relativistic Limits of General Relativity and Thirring-Newton Field Theory through Multi-Particle Statistical Thermodynamics
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This paper proposes a foundational thought experiment to test the physical validity of two competing relativistic gravitation theories in their non-relativistic limits. Conventional wisdom holds that General Relativity and flat-spacetime tensor field theories, such as Thirring's model, identically reduce to Newtonian gravity in the weak-field, low-velocity limit. However, we demonstrate that this equivalence holds only for single-particle kinematics and breaks down when applied to multi-particle statistical thermodynamics. By analyzing Perrin's classical sedimentation equilibrium of colloidal particles inside a freely falling reference frame (Einstein's elevator), we show that the two approaches yield mutually exclusive predictions. General Relativity, relying on the local erasure of the gravitational field via the Equivalence Principle, predicts a completely uniform spatial distribution of particles. In contrast, the Thirring-Newton field approach preserves the scalar potential gradient in the non-relativistic limit, predicting a distinct Gaussian density profile clustered toward the center of the frame. We outline how an empirical execution of this test in a microgravity environment, such as the International Space Station, serves as a definitive arbitrator determining which theoretical framework correctly describes thermodynamic work and statistical physics at the non-relativistic level.
Authors: Rimsha, Viktoras, Rimsha, Laimontas
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7163818612