Clarifying the Concepts of Antigravity, Dark Energy, and Negative Apparent Mass in Extended Classical Mechanics (ECM)

Soumendra Nath Thakur

February 13, 2025

The assertion that "antigravity is an unlikely phenomenon" is inconsistent with established observations. The behaviour of photons provides direct evidence to the contrary. According to its energy, a photon possesses effective mass and is observed to escape gravitational wells, demonstrating a counteracting effect against gravity. Extended Classical Mechanics (ECM), a framework built upon classical mechanics principles, provides a clear formulation of this phenomenon. ECM reveals that photons exert an antigravitational force on massive bodies, accelerating at twice the speed of light within gravitational influence. As a photon leaves a gravitational well, it expends energy but retains its inherent energy, continuing to travel at the speed of light in free space. This indicates that antigravitational effects are an intrinsic feature of certain mass-energy interactions, contradicting the claim that antigravity is unlikely.

The notion that "dark energy is not real" is only partially correct. While dark energy is not a physical object with rest mass, its effects are observable. ECM equations establish dark energy as a form of potential energy with a dynamic nature, existing only as a consequence of gravitational and motion dynamics of massive bodies. Rather than being an independent entity, dark energy emerges from the interplay of gravity and motion at cosmic scales, reinforcing its role in large-scale universal dynamics.

Similarly, the claim that "negative mass lacks a physical description and remains unproven" overlooks key insights provided by ECM. Rather than considering negative mass as a standalone entity, ECM introduces the concept of negative apparent mass, which arises from motion and gravitational interactions. This phenomenon does not imply an intrinsic negative mass but rather an emergent property influenced by both baryonic matter and dark matter. ECM principles illustrate how apparent mass contributes to gravitational effects, expanding the understanding of mass-energy interactions beyond conventional classical mechanics.

These refinements in ECM extend classical mechanics while maintaining consistency with empirical observations, providing a structured approach to understanding gravitational repulsion, dark energy, and the role of apparent mass in astrophysical phenomena.