A scalar Euclidean theory of gravitation: motion in a static spherically symmetric field

The motion of a particle in a static, spherically symmetric gravitational field is investigated in Euclidean space. The gravitational effects are described as due to a scalar field: To every point in space there is assigned a refractive index deciding the velocity of light in that point. The motion of light in the vacuum is described by the equation of classical optics. An equation of motion for material test particles is then derived by employing the usual Lagrangian formalism. The motion of the planets around the sun is explained, in particular the perihelion motion of Mercury. The present theory fully explains the four classical tests of general relativity in a mathematically far simpler way, and it can be equivalent to the Schwarzschild solution. It is also found that the effect of gravitation depends on the velocity of the particle, becoming repulsive for radial velocities larger thanc/ (c is the velocity of light). This seemingly odd result can also be obtained from the equations of general relativity, as was shown by Cavalleri and Spinelli.