The solution to Einstein's equations for a three-dimensional spacetime
with a single point mass looks like a flat spacetime everywhere to local
observers -- except when they make measurements around spatially closed
curves (curves that come back to the same place, but at a later time)
that contain the mass itself.
When they do this, they learn that the space part of the spacetime they live in is not a flat plane, but a cone.
A Flatlander travelling around the blue arc will think she's been around a complete circle.
But she will measure the circumference of this circle to be smaller
than 2 R Pi, or 6 Pi in this case. The angular size of the missing wedge
above is Pi/2, so the Flatlander will measure the circumference of her
path to be 3 R Pi/2, or 4.5 Pi. Therefore she will be able to deduce
that her path has encircled a point mass, and that she must live on a
cone, not on a flat plane. Note that circular paths that do not circle
the mass will have the normal circumference of 2 R Pi
The missing angle is called the deficit angle. According to
Einstein's equations, the mass M of the point is related to the deficit
angle B through the formula B=8GM Pi, where G is Newton's constant. The
deficit angle can't be larger than 2Pi, so there is a limit on the
allowed mass: M must be less than or equal to 1/4G. (Note: the units of
Newton's constant are not the same in three and four spacetime
dimensions. Why not?)
Another way of picturing this cone is shown below. It's just the xy
plane with a wedge removed, and the sides sewn back together. Note that
the blue circular arc is actually a closed path when the red dashed
lines are identified by the sewing-together operation.
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