You can create the gravitational pull of a massive object using nothing but rotation—no actual mass required.
April 15, 2026
Original Paper
Helicity-supported stationary spacetimes: A class of finite-energy, horizonless, axisymmetric solutions
arXiv · 2604.11456
The Takeaway
According to general relativity, gravity comes from mass. But this paper proves mathematically that you can have a stable, curved 'spacetime' with tidal forces and orbiting particles even if the total mass of the system is zero. The 'gravity' is created purely by the way different layers of space are rotating at different speeds—a phenomenon called helicity-supported stationary spacetimes. This suggests that rotation itself can 'warp' space just as much as a physical planet can. It’s a mind-bending discovery that could change how we think about the 'dark matter' in our universe; maybe some of the gravity we see isn't coming from hidden stuff, but from the way space itself is spinning.
From the abstract
We construct a class of stationary, axisymmetric, horizonless spacetimes whose curvature is generated entirely by smooth, localised differential rotation $\Omega(r)$, while the spatial geometry remains exactly flat. Despite vanishing ADM mass, these helicity-supported configurations exhibit non-trivial curvature, finite tidal forces, and a gravitomagnetic field arising from the radial shear of the rotation. The twisted stationary Killing congruence produces global frame-dragging, including a gra