Local effects of global gravitation

Abstract

In what respect does terrestrial physics reflect the two unique features of the global gravitational field: its infinite range and its equivalence to spacetime curvature? We quote the evidence that true irreversibility, i.e the growth of the Boltzmann entropy of any finite system, is the consequence of the global state of the gravitation dominated and expanding universe. Moreover, as another example, we calculate the effect of global expansion and of the gravitational potential observed in our Local Group on spacetime metric in terms of curvature. Surprisingly, we find an energy density which is in numerical agreement with the purely quantum theoretical result for the Casimir energy density containing Planck's constant.