Similarly, from the second expression it follows that the decrease of the density of the

no n~
(pseudo)tensor 3nO i in this same volume V is equal to the flux of the quantity 3nOi through
the surface bounding this volume.
It should be emphasized that the flux of the quantity (--g)a[T'~ + T~], because of the
Hilbert--Einstein equationS, is completely compensated by the flux of the density of the
(pseudo)tensor 3nainc~ .
Thus, the two differential relations (6.15) and (6.16) leading to the two integral rela-
tions (6.]7) and (6.18) are a consequence of the trivial conservation law (6.11).
In theories of other physical fields the quantity 3n ohm, which is the divergence of the
spin tensor, decreases rather rapidly with increasing r as a result of which the flux of the
quantity in expression (6.18) vanishes as r ~, Therefore, in all physical theories we are
dealing only with relations of type (6.15) and (6.17).
In the general theory of relativity the situation is otherwise, since because of the
field equations the quantity ~n on~ does not decrease sufficiently fast with increasing "r,
and its flux in expression (6.18) is nonzero.
Hence, in the general theory of relativity we must deal with both relations (6.15) and
(6.16) which reflect only that the Hilbert--Einstein equations are satisfied locally and do
not constitute any sort of conservation laws,
In Einstein's theory from relations (6.17) and (6.16) we can obtain only a conservation
law which will be identical to the conservation law (6.13).
Indeed, because of relation (6.14), expression (6.17) can be written in the form

a IdV(_g)~[T,O+~,o]= I clS~O,~7~.
c)t
Considering relations (6.18) and (6.14), we o b t a i n
0
ot l dV (-- g)~T zo~ -- ~-f f dV (-- g)~ti~
Similar results can be obtained also in the case of the contravariant tensor density
( - - g)~tnt = (,-- g ) ~ n ~ - - ~)m~ni,

where
(~mni ~ _ _ (jnrni ~ (yrnin

proceeding from Eq. (6.12).

Thus, the more detailed study of the formalism of energy--momentum pseudotensors car-
ried out here leads us to the final conclusion that the approach based on the introduction
of energy--momentum pseudotensors in Einstein's theory has no physical meaning and, as we have
seen, does not provide for the possibility of describing the transport of energy by curvature
waves. Therefore, aIl works in which analysis of gravitational processes is based on the
use of any energy--momentum pseudotensors are also devoid of physical meaning.
It should be noted that some of the results presented above were known earlier, but the
appropriate conclusions from them were drawn only in our works [2-9, 12, 43].

7. A Critique of the Determination of the Energy-Momentum of a System

from the Equations of Motion of Matter in the General Theory of Relativity
Another approach to the problem of energy--momentum in Einstein's theory, which has found
application mainly in approximate computations, is ostensibly based on finding integrals of
the motion from the equations of motion of matter obtained on the basis of the covariant con-
servation equation (6.7). In this approach the nonconservation of the energy of matter pos-
sibly discovered at some stage of approximate computations is usually explained by the radia-
tion of gravitational waves by matter; this makes it possible to determine their "energy" and
also the "force" of gravitational radiation damping. Contradictory results are obtained in
this way.
Thus, for example, in [41, 42, 50] a conclusion was drawn regarding the negative sign of
the energy of gravitational waves, since the energy of the system increased during the

1734
radiation of gravitational waves by it. At the same time, the results of analogous works
[20, 22, 44, 48] gave evidence of the decrease of the energy of the system during the radia-
tion of gravitational waves, and hence they must carry positive energy. However, the reason
for these discrepancies was not revealed in any of these works.
In order to understand the reason for such contradictory conclusions regarding the sign
of the energy of gravitational waves in the general theory of relativity, it is necessary to
clarify the extent of the justification for the assertion that in Einstein's theory noncon-
servativeness of a system, which can ostensibly be established, is caused by losses of energy--
momentum to radiation of gravitational waves.
The analogy with electrodynamics is a natural basis for such an approach to the study
of energy losses of matter. In electrodynamics with a compatible definition of the motion
and radiation of a system of slowly moving charged particles the change of energy--momentum
of these particles determined from the equations of motion at each stage of approximate com-
putations is explained by energy-~nomentum losses to radiation of electromagnetic waves. With-
out using the energy--momentum tensor of the electromagnetic field, this makes it possible to
determine the energy--momentum carried away by waves.
Now this explanation in electrodynamics is based on an exact relation following from
the exact field equations and equations of motion. Indeed, from MaxwellVs equations and the
equations of motion of charged particles, we obtain the relation [11]
a cnt ~ ~ni
n~p ~---vn~f,
(7 I)

which is the law of conservation of the tensor of energy--momentum of particles t~ i and of the
electromagnetic field t~ I. This precise relation obtained in electrodynamics serves as jus-
tification for the fact that nonconservativeness of the energy--momentum of particles at any
stage of approximate computations is a consequence of losses of energy--momentum to radiation
of electromagnetic waves.
Therefore, in the general theory of relativity to clarify the reason leading to change
of the energy--momentum tensor of matter it is necessary to turn to exact relations following
from the exact equations of motion of matter and the Hilbert--Einstein equations~
With no loss of generality, we consider as a model of matter a continuous radius with
energy-momentum tensor of the form [23]
Tnl = ~utun - - Sin' ( 7.2 )

where ~ is the mass density and sni is the symmetric stress tensor satisfying the condition

Sntui=O.
Special cases of an arbitrary continuous medium are an incoherent liquid Sni = 0 and
an ideal fluid
S ~ = p (g~-- u~#),
where p is the isotropic pressure.
Using covariant equation (6.7) and also the kinematic conditions

u~u~:l, ~VnU~O, (7.3)

we obtain [23] the equation of continuity

V n [~U nl -~- ~i V n Snt ( 7.4 )

and the equation of motion of an arbitrary continuous medium

~unV~ u ~ = ~ # - u~un)v~Sm~" (7.5)

Thus, because of the equations of motion of an arbitrary continuous medium (7.5) and
the equation of continuity (7.4), the covariant conservation equation (6.7) is automatically
satisfied.
For a noncoherent fluid the right sides of Eqs. (7.4) and (7.5) vanish. In the case
of an ideal fluid the equation of continuity and the equations of motion take the form
V n [(~ + p) unl = un v .p,
( g - k p) U" V . u ~= (gnU__ utu.) V .P.

1735
 It is easy to see that in first approximation these equations coincide with the corre-
sponding equations of Newtonian theory.
To find the energy integral one usually takes the scalar product of the equations for
the spatial components of the four-vector u s (7.5) with the three-dimensional velocity v e =
ua/u ~ and integrates the equation obtained over the volume occupied by matter. However,
because of conditions (7.3), the equation obtained coincides with equation (7.5) for the
component u ~ integrated over the volume of matter.
Therefore, to find integrals of the motion we integrate all four equations (7.5) over
the region of space occupied by matter.
As a result we obtain

I dV c
~ u n ~~)ul
. - - r~mT~} = f dV {anSn'+ r~'~S~'- u ~ u ~ v ~ S ~ } 9 (7.6)

From t h e H i l b e r t - - E i n s t e i n equations (6.4), we h a v e *

r~,nr.~ = ~ toi_ r~mT~-- a~T ~i

S u b s t i t u t i n g t h i s e x p r e s s i o n i n t o t h e l e f t s i d e o f Eq. ( 7 . 6 ) , t r a n s f o r m i n g t h e volume
i n t e g r a l s from the t h r e e - d i m e n s i o n a l d i v e r g e n c e to s u r f a c e i n t e g r a l s , and n o t i n g t h a t t h e
b o u n d a r i e s o f t h e v o l u m e o f i n t e g r a t i o n a r e l o c a t e d o u t s i d e t h e m a t t e r , we o b t a i n

o_tSev + t~ s~ I av [.'vn
Considering the equation of c o n t i n u i t y ( 7 . 4 ) , we have f i n a l l y

a_atI dV lro' + toq = 0 , (7.7)

where T~ is the energy-momentum t e n s o r of matter and

t~ -- 8~--'-B- R~ g0q? .

T h u s , p r o c e e d i n g f r o m t h e e x a c t e q u a t i o n s o f m o t i o n o f m a t t e r , we h a v e a r r i v e d a t r e l a -
tion (7.7), which is trivially satisfied because of the Hilbert--Einstein equations. It fol-
lows f r o m t h i s r e l a t i o n t h a t i n t h e g e n e r a l t h e o r y o f r e l a t i v i t y the change of the energy--
momentum o f m a t t e r l e a d s t o a c h a n g e in t h e g e o m e t r i c c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of space--time (the
s c a l a r c u r v a t u r e R and t h e t e n s o r o f s e c o n d r a n k Rh i ) i n t h e r e g i o n o c c u p i e d by m a t t e r .
Expression (7.7) implies the existence in Einstein's theory of a direct connection be-
tween the change of the energy-momentum of matter and of the energy carried away by curva-
ture waves; therefore, the determination of energy losses to radiation of gravitational waves
from the equations of motion of matter has no physical meaning. This conclusion, because of
the exact relation (7.7), is also valid for approximate computations at any stage of the ap-
proximation. In particular, from this it follows that the general theory of relativity has
no classical Newtonian limit, since the integrals of motion of Newton's theory of gravitaiton
and of the Newtonian approximation of Einstein's theory do not coincide.
Other attempts have been made in the theory of general relativity to construct integrals
of the motion, but they were unsuccessful. Thus, for example [2"3], in those special cases
where space--time admits a group of motion, by using Killing vectors and the energy--momentum
tensor of matter, it is possible to construct an integral quantity which does not depend on
time. In a similar way, away from matter it is also possible to construct an interval quan-
tity not depending on time by using the Riemann tensor. However, this path does not establish
a direct connection between the change of energy of matter and the existence of curvature
waves, and it therefore does not solve the problem globally.
Our principal aim has been to show that the methods supposedly leading in Einstein's
theory to classical Newtonian integrals of the motion are incorrect, and their incorrectness
is not due to the limitations of these methods but to the essence of the theory of general
gr
To avoid possible misunderstandings we emphasize that in the present section, beginning with
expression (7.2), Tni and tni are tensors and not tensor densities of weight I as previously.

1736
relativity which has drawn us beyond the framework of an ordinary classical field
in the spirit of Faraday--Maxwell. The many attempts to force the gravitational field of Ein-
stein's theory into the framework of a classical field of Faraday-Maxwell type, which have
continued over the course of more than a half a century, are absolutely unfruitful and divert
us from understanding the essence of the general theory of relativity. In Einstein's theory
the change of the energy--momentum of matter is directly connected only with the change of the
scalar curvature R and the tensor of second rank R nl in the region occupied by matter:
0 i 0 toi
-~7-To = - - - ~ - .

Proceeding from this exact relation, it is also easy to understand the reason leading
to contradictory results in [20, 22, 41, 42, 44, 48, 50]. These equivocal results are a
simple consequence of the arbitrary transfer of part of the terms of the tensor t ~ in ex-
pression (7.7) from the left to the right after which the right side of this expression is
declared the energy flux of gravitational waves. It is altogether obvious that this proce-
dure is completely senseless, yielding different results depending on whether positive or
negative quantities are transferred to the right side. This is the essence of the contra-
dictory results obtained in the works [20, 22, 41, 42, 44, 48, 50]. This can be seen di-
rectly by analyzing the concrete computations.
Therefore, the results of those authors who, on the basis of an analysis of approximate
equations of motion of matter, obtain formula (5.2) for estimating energy losses to radiation
of gravitational waves are also false.

8. Problem of Energy--Momentum in Einstein's Theory

In all physical theories describing different forms of matter one of the most important
characteristics of the field is the density of the energy-momentum tensor which is usually
obtained by variation of the Lagrangian density of the field L with respect to the components
of the metric tensor of space--time gni:

Tnt___2 AL_~l:--~Tnt (8.1)

-- Agni F g '

where T ni is the energy--momentum tensor of the field.

This characteristic reflects the existence of a field: nonvanishing of the density of
the energy--momentum tensor in some region of space--time is a necessary and sufficient condi-
tion for the presence of a physical field in this region. The energy--momentum of any physical
field hereby contributes to the total energy-momentum tensor of the system and does not vanish
outside the source of the field. This makes it possible to consider transport of energy by
waves in the spirit of Faraday-Maxwell, study the character of the distribution of field in-
tensity in space, determine energy fluxes across a surface, compute the change of energy--
momentum in processes of radiation and absorption, and also to make other energy computations.
In the general theory of relativity the gravitational field does not possess the proper-
ties inherent to other physical fields, since it is deprived of this characteristic.
Indeed, in Einstein's theory the Lagrangian density consists of two parts: the Lagrangian
density of the gravitational field Lg = Lg(gni) , depending only on the metric tensor gni, and
the Lagrangian density of matter L~-----L~(g,~,~A) , depending on the metric tensor gni and the
remaining fields of matter ~A 9 Thus, in Einstein's general theory of relativity the quan-
tities gni have the dual meaning of field variables and the metric tensor of space--time.
As a result of this physicogeometric dualism the density of the total syn~netric energy--
momentum tensor (variation of the Lagrangian density with respect to components of the metric
tensor) is found to coincide with the field equations (variation of the Lagrangian density
with respect to components of the gravitational field). This leads to the situation that the
density of the total symmetric energy-momentum tensor of the system is strictly equal to zero,

T"~ + t "~ = O, (A)

where T ni = --2ALM/Agni is the density of the symmetric energy--momentum tensor of matter (here
we consider as matter all fields of matter except the gravitational field) and

agn~ 8rig (8.2)

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