Quasi-Asimptotically Flat Spacetimes and Their ADM Mass

Abstract

We define spacetimes that are asymptotically flat, except for a deficit solid angle $\alpha$, and present a definition of their ``ADM'' mass, which is finite for this class of spacetimes, and, in particular, coincides with the value of the parameter $M$ of the global monopole spacetime studied by Vilenkin and Barriola . Moreover, we show that the definition is coordinate independent, and explain why it can, in some cases, be negative.