Exact Space-Times in Einstein's General Relativity

by Jerry B. Griffiths, Jirí Podolský

Overview

Einstein’s theory of general relativity is a theory of gravity and, as in the earlier Newtonian theory, much can be learned about the character of gravitation and its effects by investigating particular idealized examples. This book describes the basic solutions of Einstein’s equations with a particular emphasis on what they mean, both geometrically and physically. New concepts, such as big bang and big crunch-types of singularities, different kinds of horizons and gravitational waves, are described in the context of the particular space-times in which they naturally arise. These notions are initially introduced using the most simple and symmetric cases. Various important coordinate forms of each solution are presented, thus enabling the global structure of the corresponding space-time and its other properties to be analyzed. The book is an invaluable resource both for graduate students and academic researchers working in gravitational physics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521889278
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	10/15/2009
Series:	Cambridge Monographs on Mathematical Physics
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	548
Product dimensions:	7.10(w) x 9.80(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Jerry Griffiths is a Professor at Loughborough University, where he has worked since obtaining his PhD from the University of Wales on neutrino fields in general relativity. He continues to work on the generation and interpretation of exact solutions of Einstein's equations and has published over 80 articles on these topics.

Jiří Podolský is an Associate Professor at Charles University in Prague, where he also obtained his PhD and Habilitation in theoretical physics. His research concentrates mainly on the investigation of exact radiative and black hole space-times in general relativity. He has published over 60 papers in these fields.

Table of Contents

Preface; 1. Introduction; 2. Basic tools and concepts; 3. Minkowski space-time; 4. de Sitter space-time; 5. Anti-de Sitter space-time; 6. Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker space-times; 7. Electrovacuum and related background space-times; 8. Schwarzchild space-time; 9. Space-times related to Schwarzchild; 10. Static axially symmetric space-times; 11. Rotating black holes; 12. Taub-NUT space-time; 13. Stationary, axially symmetric space-times; 14. Accelerating black holes; 15. Further solutions for uniformly accelerating particles; 16. Plebański-Demiański solutions; 17. Plane and pp-waves; 18. Kundt solutions; 19. Robinson-Trautman solutions; 20. Impulsive waves; 21. Colliding plane waves; 22. A final miscellany; Appendix A. 2-spaces of constant curvature; Appendix B. 3-spaces of constant curvature; References; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"This is a resource monograph well balanced between a pedagogical scientific text and a review of current research on the subject. It should be standing undoubtedly, next to the "Exact solution book", on the bookshelf of both graduate students and academic researchers working on general relativity."
Theophanes Grammenos, Mathematical Reviews

"... tell[s] of the achievements of a generation of theorists whose only instruments were, for a good part of their lives, a pad of paper and a few pencils."
Massimo Giovannini, CERN Courier

From the Publisher