Fundamental Physical Basis for Maxwell-Heaviside Gravitomagnetism

Abstract

Gravitomagnetism is universally and formally recognised in contemporary physics as being the linear first-order approximation of Einstein’s field equations emerging from the General Theory of Relativity (GTR). Herein, we argue that, as has been done by others in the past, gravitomagnetism can be viewed as a fully-fledged independent theory of gravitomagnetism that can be divorced from Professor Einstein’s GTR. The gravitomagnetic theory whose exposition we give herein is exactly envisioned by Professor Maxwell and Dr. Heaviside. The once speculative Maxwell-Heaviside Gravitomagnetic theory now finds full justification as a fully fledged theory from Professor José Hera’s Existence Theorem which states that all that is needed for there to exist the four Max-well-type field equations is that a mass-current conservation law be obeyed. Our contribution in the present work, if any, is that we demonstrate conclusively that like electromagnetism, the gravitomagnetic phenomenon leads to the prediction of gravitomagnetic waves that travel at the speed of light. Further, we argue that for the gravitational phenomenon, apart from the Newtonian gravitational potential, there are four more potentials and these operate concurrently with the Newtonian potential. At the end of it, it is seen that the present work sets the stage for a very interesting investigation of several gravitational anomalies such as the ponderous Pioneer Anomaly, the vexing Flyby Anomalies, the mysterious Anomalous Rotation Curves of Spiral Galaxies and as well, the possibility of the generation of stellar magnetic fields by rotating gravitational masses.