Toward a Nonlocal Theory of Gravitation

Abstract

The nonlocal theory of accelerated systems is extended to linear gravitational waves as measured by accelerated observers in Minkowski spacetime. The implications of this approach are discussed. In particular, the nonlocal modifications of helicity-rotation coupling are pointed out and a nonlocal wave equation is presented for a special class of uniformly rotating observers. The results of this study, via Einstein's heuristic principle of equivalence, provide the incentive for a nonlocal classical theory of the gravitational field.