Equivalence Principle and Machian origin of extended gravity

Chae's analyses on GAIA observations of wide binary stars have fortified the paradigm of extended gravity with particular attention to MOND-like theories. We recall that, starting from the origin of Einstein's general relativity, the request of Mach on the structure of the theory has been the core of the foundational debate. This issue is strictly connected with the nature of the mass-energy equivalence. This was exactly the key point that Einstein used to derive the same general relativity. On the other hand, the current requirements of particle physics and the open questions within extended gravity theories, which have recently been further strengthened by analyses of GAIA observations, request a better understanding of the Equivalence Principle. By considering a direct coupling between the Ricci curvature scalar and the matter Lagrangian a non geodesic ratio between the inertial and the gravitational mass can be fixed and MOND-like theories are retrieved at low energies.
Comment: Essay dedicated to the memory of the Authors' beloved mothers, awarded Honorable Mention in the Gravity Research Foundation 2024 Awards for Essays on Gravitation. To appear in International Journal of Modern Physics D. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1411.0829