Synopses & Reviews
This book describes global aspects in gravitation theory and cosmology within the framework of Einstein's theory of gravity. Topics include results on the structure and topology of space-time, exact solutions to Einstein equations and singularities, the status of quantum gravity, and quantum effects near space-time singularities in strong curvature fields. The author also discusses the nature and structure of space-time singularities, the cosmic censorship problem in black hole physics, and the issue of quantum effects in strong gravity fields. Students and mathematicians, astrophysicists, and physicists will find this theoretically rich book a landmark in relativity theory.
Review
"The variety of subjects discussed is wide and this....make[s] this book a useful source of information for researchers interested in the global properties of solutions of the Einstein equations." --Mathematical Reviews
Table of Contents
1. Global themes in gravity
2. The manifold model for space-time
3. Solutions to the Einstein equations
4. Causality and space-time topology
5. Singularities in general relativity
6. Gravitational collapse and cosmic censorship
7. General constraints on naked singularity formation
8. Global upper limits in cosmology
9. Quantum effects near the space-time singularity
References
Index