Directions in General Relativity: Proceedings of the 1993 International Symposium, Maryland: Papers in Honor of Charles Misner

by Edited by B. L. Hu , M. P. Ryan, Jr , C. V. Vishveshwara

• ISBN13: 9780521021395
• ISBN10: 0521021391
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-10-20
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

These two volumes are the proceedings of a major International Symposium on General Relativity held at the University of Maryland May 27-29, 1993 to celebrate the sixtieth birthdays of Professor Charles Misner and Professor Dieter Brill. The volumes cover classical general relativity, quantum gravity and quantum cosmology, canonical formulation and the initial value problem, topology and geometry of spacetime and fields, mathematical and physical cosmology, and black hole physics and astrophysics. As invited articles, the papers in these volumes have an aim that goes beyond that of a standard conference proceedings. Not only do the authors discuss the most recent research results in their fields, but many also provide historical perspectives on how their subjects developed and offer individual insights in their search for new directions.

Table of Contents

Contributors	xi
Symposium Program	xvi
Papers from both Volumes Classified by Subject	xvii
Preface	xxiii
Insight and Discovery	1	(9)
Charles W. Misner
Remarks Concerning the Geometries of Gravity and Gauge Fields	10	(11)
J. S. Anandan
Gravity and Unification of Fundamental Interactions	21	(8)
R. L. Arnowitt
P. Nath
Minisuperspaces: Symmetries and Quantization	29	(14)
A. Ashtekar
R. S. Tate
C. Uggla
Quantum Cosmology	43	(15)
B.K. Berger
A Pictorial History of some Gravitational Instantons	58	(20)
D. Brill
K.- T. Pirk
No Time Machines from Lightlike Sources in 2+1 Gravity	78	(12)
S. Deser
A. R. Steif
Inhomogeneity and Anisotropy Generation in FRW Cosmologies	90	(9)
G. F. R. Ellis
D. R. Matravers
Misner, Kinks and Black Holes	99	(5)
D. Finkelstein
The Quantum Mechanics of Closed Systems	104	(21)
J. B. Hartle
Cosmological Vacuum Phase Transitions	125	(20)
W. A. Hiscock
D. A. Samuel
Minisuperspace as a Quantum Open System	145	(21)
B. L. Hu
J. P. Paz
S. Sinha
Ricci Flow on Minisuperspaces and the Geometry-Topology Problem	166	(16)
J. Isenberg
M. Jackson
Classical and Quantum Dynamics of Black Hole Interiors	182	(19)
W. Israel
Matter Time in Canonical Quantum Gravity	201	(21)
K. V. Kuchar
The Isotropy and Homogeneity of the Universe	222	(9)
R. A. Matzner
Recent Advances in ADM Reduction	231	(14)
V. Moncrief
Some Progress in Classical Canonical Gravity	245	(16)
J. M. Nester
Harmonic Map Formulation of Colliding Electrovac Plane Waves	261	(11)
Y. Nutku
Geometry, the Renormalization Group and Gravity	272	(16)
D. J. O'Connor
C. R. Stephens
An Example of Indeterminacy in the Time-Development of ``Already Unified Field Theory'': A Collision between Electomagnetic Plane Waves	288	(9)
R. Penrose
Non-static Metrics of Hiscock-Gott Type	297	(3)
A. K. Raychaudhuri
Non-Standard Phase Space Variables, Quantization and Path-Integrals, or Little Ado about Much	300	(12)
M. P. Ryan, Jr.
Sergio Hojman
The Present Status of the Decaying Neutrino Theory	312	(8)
D. W. Sciama
Exploiting the Computer to Investigate Black Holes and Cosmic Censorship	320	(13)
S. L. Shapiro
S. A. Teukolsky
Misner Space as a Prototype for Almost Any Pathology	333	(14)
K. S. Thorne
Relativity and Rotation	347	(11)
C. V. Vishveshwara
The First Law of Black Hole Mechanics	358	(9)
R. M. Wald
Gravitational Radiation Antenna Observations	367	(21)
J. Weber
G. Wilmot
The Back-Reaction is Never Negligible: Entropy of Black Holes and Radiation	388	(8)
J. W. York, Jr.
Toward a Thesis Topic	396	(6)
J. A. Wheeler
Charles W. Misner: A Celebration of Memories	402	(8)
Curriculum Vitae of C. W. Misner	410	(4)
Ph. D. Theses supervised by C. W. Misner	414	(2)
List of Publications of C. W. Misner	416