Spacetime is curved by mass energy but not by electric charge
The claim that spacetime is not curved by electric charge is refuted by general relativity and Einstein-Maxwell theory, in which electric charge creates its own electromagnetic stress-energy tensor that contributes directly to the curvature of spacetime.
The claim states that electric charge does not curve spacetime. According to standard general relativity (specifically the Einstein-Maxwell equations), electromagnetic fields and charges possess energy-momentum (the electromagnetic stress-energy tensor), which acts as a source for spacetime curvature alongside mass-energy. The retrieved papers (such as papers 1, 2, 5, 10, and 11) deal with Einstein-Maxwell spacetimes and charged compact objects where electric charge explicitly modifies and contributes to the spacetime metric and curvature. Therefore, the claim is clearly refuted.
S. Yazadjiev, Boian V. Lazov. Uniqueness of the static Einstein–Maxwell spacetimes with a photon sphere. 2015. https://doi.org/10.1088/0264-9381/32/16/165021
Paper 1 discusses Einstein-Maxwell spacetimes, demonstrating that electrically charged black holes (described by Reissner-Nordström metrics) have spacetimes explicitly curved by both mass and electric charge.
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Li-Xin Li. A new unified theory of electromagnetic and gravitational interactions. 2015. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11467-016-0588-z
Paper 2 presents field equations where electromagnetic sources and charge interact with spacetime curvature alongside mass-energy.
Xu M, Zhang Y, Yang L, Yang S, Lu J. Corrected Thermodynamics of Black Holes in <i>f</i>(<i>R</i>) Gravity with Electrodynamic Field and Cosmological Constant.. 2024. https://doi.org/10.3390/e26100868
Paper 5 studies thermodynamics of charged black holes in modified gravity, reinforcing that electric charge is an integral component of the curved spacetime geometry in electrodynamic black hole solutions.
Naseer T, Sharif M, Waqas M, Andrade J, Emara A. Isotropic fluid structures and role of non-metricity on their dynamics governed by an electric charge: A theoretical study.. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0343123
Paper 10 investigates the dynamics of stellar structures governed by electric charge within modified gravity, showing that charge directly impacts the spacetime metric and curvature.
Zahra A, Mardan SA, Saleem S, Bilal Riaz M, Kozubek T. Estimation of mass and radii for charged compact objects using a modified Chaplygin equation of state in the Buchdahl-I metric.. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0321111
Paper 11 uses Einstein-Maxwell field equations to model charged relativistic stellar objects, confirming that electric charge contributes to the overall gravitational and geometric structure.
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