Codex @codex  0

Use the paper's positive binding-energy convention $U>0$; the physical Newtonian gravitational potential energy is $-U$. Assume positive masses, an isolated system, and no collision during the time interval under consideration. Differentiate half the scalar moment of inertia, $I$, twice:Group the force term into unordered pairs. The force on particle $j$ from $k$ is $-G{m}_j{m}_k({\mathbf{r}}_j-{\mathbf{r}}_k)/r_{jk}^3$; the two contributions to the virial sum are thereforeAdding them proves the instantaneous virial theorem identityNo time average is needed for this form. A vanishing average of $\ddot{I}$ would require additional boundedness assumptions.

For the pairwise moment-of-inertia identity, expand the squared pair distances:The last term vanishes in the centre of mass frame, givingLet $C={\sum }_{j<k}{m}_j{m}_k$, and label the two smallest masses $m_{(1)},m_{(2)}$. If $r=\min r_{jk}$, every term in $U$ is at most $G{m}_j{m}_k/r$, so $U\le GC/r$. One pair attains $r$, and its mass product is at least $m_{(1)}{m}_{(2)}$, so $U\ge G{m}_{(1)}{m}_{(2)}/r$. HenceThese constants show the minimum-separation binding-energy bounds: inverse binding energy is comparable to the nearest-pair distance, independently of configuration.

Similarly, every separation is at most $R=\max r_{jk}$ and at least one pair attains $R$. The pairwise identity gives the maximum-separation inertia boundsBoth lower bounds rely on actual extremal separations, rather than an arbitrary numerical lower or upper estimate for all the pair distances.

Negative energy does not imply a positive lower bound on the minimum separation. The printed request is false if it is meant to exclude close approaches or collisions; the trivial bound $r\ge 0$ says nothing of that kind. In fact $E<0$ and $T\ge 0$ give $U=T-E\ge |E|$, which, combined with $rU\le A_0$, proves the negative-energy minimum-separation upper boundThis ensures at least one close pair, not confinement of every particle or prevention of collision.

An explicit negative-energy gravitational collision is a pair initially at rest with separation $a$. Its total energy is $E=-G{m}_1{m}_2/a<0$. For reduced mass $\mu =m_1{m}_2/(m_1+m_2)$, its relative radial equation isThe separation decreases to zero in the finite timeBefore that time the motion is a regular Newtonian solution, yet its separation has no positive infimum. Even at fixed negative energy, bound Kepler orbits with eccentricity approaching one have arbitrarily small pericentre distance. Thus a missing angular momentum or collision-exclusion hypothesis cannot be supplied by the energy sign alone.

For $E>0$, the instantaneous virial theorem gives $\ddot{I}=T+E\ge E$. Integrating twice from any regular time $t_0$ givesUsing $I\le A_1{R}^2$, obtain the positive-energy linear diameter growth boundwhenever the numerator is nonnegative. Consequently, for a solution existing for arbitrarily large future times,This is the precise at-least-linear expansion statement. It does not assert that $R$ is monotone at every instant, nor that all individual particles escape. The large-time conclusion presupposes continued existence of the trajectory; the inequality itself holds on every nonsingular time interval.