Exact Space-times in Einstein's General Relativity

Einstein's theory of general relativity is a theory of gravity and, as in the earlier Newtonian theory, much can be learnt about the character of gravitation and its effects by investigating particular idealised examples. This book, first published in 2009, describes the basic solutions of Einstein's equations with a particular emphasis on what they mean, both geometrically and physically. 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 analysed. The book is an invaluable resource both for graduate students and academic researchers working in gravitational physics. Review of the hardback: 'The relatively familiar material ... covers somewhat more than a third of the book ... the rest of the book's contents ... is less familiar ... I feel that [the authors] have ... made a good choice ... the exact solutions they discuss are surely important ... for a person who wants to work in the field ...As a reference on a wide selection of exact solutions, with geometrical and physical detail not found previously in one place, this book is a very useful companion.' General Relativity and GravitationPreface; 1. Introduction; 2. Basic tools and concepts; 3. Minkowski space-time; 4. de Sitter space-time; 5. Anti-de Sitter space-time; 6. Friedmann-Lemaitre-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. Plebanski-Demianski 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.