Connecting Gravitation and Electromagnetism In the Dirac Gauge of the Electromagnetic Field V. B. Verma E-mail: varunbverma@gmail.com April 2025 Abstract. Motivated by the observation made by R. H. Dicke in 1957 that the speed of light seems to be correlated with the gravitational potential of the entire universe, we develop a spatially-variable speed of light theory of gravity based on a gravitational wavefunction. The gravitational wavefunction is treated as a fundamental property of matter, while the gravitational potential and resulting forces derived from it are emergent properties which are critically dependent on the distribution of mass on both local and global scales throughout the universe. We then show that the theory leads naturally to an association of gravitation with zero-point fluctuations of the electromagnetic field in the Dirac gauge, with the amplitude and frequency of the fluctuations constrained by the gravitational potential. The theory is free of gravitational singularities. It is capable of reproducing the Schwarzschild metric and is therefore consistent with tests of general relativity. It allows a first-principles calculation of the numerical value of the cosmological constant and the size of the universe using only the speed of light and the average density of ordinary matter in the universe which agrees closely with the observed values. Finally, it numerically predicts the approximate critical acceleration in modified Newtonian dynamics theory (MOND), providing an alternative explanation for dark matter. This shows that the theory may have value in explaining cosmological observations which are currently attributed to dark matter and dark energy. 1. The Gravitational Wavefunction There is a serious problem with general relativity which is never discussed in textbooks or the scientific literature. Namely, the theory predicts that we should be surrounded by an abundance of black holes. In 1957 R. H. Dicke published “Gravitation Without a Principle of Equivalence” in which he made the observation that twice the gravitational potential of the observable universe is numerically approximately equal to the speed of light squared [1]. This is precisely the event horizon condition. Small variations in the gravitational potential due to inhomogeneities in the distribution of matter should therefore cause the formation of black holes in abundance throughout our universe. In addition, despite measuring a speed of light of 2.99 × 10 8 m/s in a local inertial frame, when we look out into the surrounding universe the speed of light should appear to be nearly zero. Clearly this is not consistent with observations of the local universe. In