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Dive into a mind-bending exploration of the physics of black holesBlack holes, predicted by Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity more than a century ago, have long intrigued scientists and the public with their bizarre and fantastical properties. Although Einstein understood that black holes were mathematical solutions to his equations, he never accepted their physical reality-a viewpoint many shared. This all changed in the 1960s and 1970s, when a deeper conceptual understanding of black holes developed just as new observations revealed the existence of quasars and X-ray binary star systems, whose mysterious properties could be explained by the presence of black holes. Black holes have since been the subject of intense research-and the physics governing how they behave and affect their surroundings is stranger and more mind-bending than any fiction.After introducing the basics of the special and general theories of relativity, this book describes black holes both as astrophysical objects and theoretical "laboratories" in which physicists can test their understanding of gravitational, quantum, and thermal physics. From Schwarzschild black holes to rotating and colliding black holes, and from gravitational radiation to Hawking radiation and information loss, Steven Gubser and Frans Pretorius use creative thought experiments and analogies to explain their subject accessibly. They also describe the decades-long quest to observe the universe in gravitational waves, which recently resulted in the LIGO observatories' detection of the distinctive gravitational wave "chirp" of two colliding black holes-the first direct observation of black holes' existence.The Little Book of Black Holes takes readers deep into the mysterious heart of the subject, offering rare clarity of insight into the physics that makes black holes simple yet destructive manifestations of geometric destiny.

Black holes (Astronomy) --- Frozen stars --- Compact objects (Astronomy) --- Gravitational collapse --- Stars --- A-frame. --- Acceleration. --- Accretion disk. --- Alice and Bob. --- Angular momentum. --- Astronomer. --- Atomic nucleus. --- Binary black hole. --- Binary star. --- Black hole information paradox. --- Black hole thermodynamics. --- Black hole. --- Calculation. --- Circular orbit. --- Classical mechanics. --- Closed timelike curve. --- Cosmological constant. --- Curvature. --- Cygnus X-1. --- Degenerate matter. --- Differential equation. --- Differential geometry. --- Doppler effect. --- Earth. --- Einstein field equations. --- Electric charge. --- Electric field. --- Electromagnetism. --- Ergosphere. --- Escape velocity. --- Event horizon. --- Excitation (magnetic). --- Frame-dragging. --- Galactic Center. --- General relativity. --- Gravitational acceleration. --- Gravitational collapse. --- Gravitational constant. --- Gravitational energy. --- Gravitational field. --- Gravitational redshift. --- Gravitational wave. --- Gravitational-wave observatory. --- Gravity. --- Hawking radiation. --- Inner core. --- Kerr metric. --- Kinetic energy. --- LIGO. --- Length contraction. --- Lorentz transformation. --- Magnetic field. --- Mass–energy equivalence. --- Maxwell's equations. --- Metric expansion of space. --- Metric tensor. --- Milky Way. --- Minkowski space. --- Negative energy. --- Neutrino. --- Neutron star. --- Neutron. --- Newton's law of universal gravitation. --- No-hair theorem. --- Nuclear fusion. --- Nuclear reaction. --- Orbit. --- Orbital mechanics. --- Orbital period. --- Penrose process. --- Photon. --- Physicist. --- Primordial black hole. --- Projectile. --- Quantum entanglement. --- Quantum gravity. --- Quantum mechanics. --- Quantum state. --- Quasar. --- Ray (optics). --- Rotational energy. --- Roy Kerr. --- Schwarzschild metric. --- Schwarzschild radius. --- Solar mass. --- Special relativity. --- Star. --- Stellar mass. --- Stephen Hawking. --- Stress–energy tensor. --- String theory. --- Supermassive black hole. --- Temperature. --- Theory of relativity. --- Thought experiment. --- Tidal force. --- Time dilation. --- Wavelength. --- White hole. --- Wormhole.

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Our universe seems strangely ''biophilic,'' or hospitable to life. Is this happenstance, providence, or coincidence? According to cosmologist Martin Rees, the answer depends on the answer to another question, the one posed by Einstein's famous remark: ''What interests me most is whether God could have made the world differently.'' This highly engaging book explores the fascinating consequences of the answer being ''yes.'' Rees explores the notion that our universe is just a part of a vast ''multiverse,'' or ensemble of universes, in which most of the other universes are lifeless. What we call the laws of nature would then be no more than local bylaws, imposed in the aftermath of our own Big Bang. In this scenario, our cosmic habitat would be a special, possibly unique universe where the prevailing laws of physics allowed life to emerge. Rees begins by exploring the nature of our solar system and examining a range of related issues such as whether our universe is or isn't infinite. He asks, for example: How likely is life? How credible is the Big Bang theory? Rees then peers into the long-range cosmic future before tracing the causal chain backward to the beginning. He concludes by trying to untangle the paradoxical notion that our entire universe, stretching 10 billion light-years in all directions, emerged from an infinitesimal speck. As Rees argues, we may already have intimations of other universes. But the fate of the multiverse concept depends on the still-unknown bedrock nature of space and time on scales a trillion trillion times smaller than atoms, in the realm governed by the quantum physics of gravity. Expanding our comprehension of the cosmos, Our Cosmic Habitat will be read and enjoyed by all those--scientists and nonscientists alike--who are as fascinated by the universe we inhabit as is the author himself.

Cosmology. --- Abiogenesis. --- Acceleration. --- Anti-gravity. --- Antimatter. --- Apparent magnitude. --- Astronomer. --- Astronomy. --- Astrophysics. --- Atomic nucleus. --- Atomic number. --- Atomic physics. --- Big Bang. --- Big Crunch. --- Billion years. --- Biosphere. --- Calculation. --- Chronology of the universe. --- Cosmic ray. --- Dark energy. --- Deuterium. --- Diffusion. --- Dimension. --- Earth. --- Einstein field equations. --- Electric charge. --- Exoplanet. --- Extrapolation. --- Fusion power. --- Galactic Center. --- Galaxy cluster. --- General relativity. --- Geologist. --- Gravity. --- Hubble Space Telescope. --- Impact event. --- Inflation (cosmology). --- Instant. --- Interstellar medium. --- Inverse-square law. --- John Archibald Wheeler. --- Lecture. --- Light-year. --- Logarithmic scale. --- Mass–energy equivalence. --- Measurement. --- Metric expansion of space. --- Milky Way. --- Molecule. --- Multiverse. --- Nature's Way. --- Neutrino. --- Neutron star. --- Neutron. --- New Idea. --- Nuclear fusion. --- Nuclear physics. --- Nuclear reaction. --- Observable universe. --- Orbit. --- Particle physics. --- Photon. --- Physical cosmology. --- Physical law. --- Physicist. --- Planck length. --- Planck time. --- Planet. --- Planetary system. --- Power of 10. --- Prediction. --- Pressure. --- Princeton University. --- Protostar. --- Quantum fluctuation. --- Quantum mechanics. --- Radioactive decay. --- Scientist. --- Shape of the universe. --- Solar mass. --- Star Maker. --- Static universe. --- Stellar collision. --- Strangelet. --- Strong gravity. --- Subatomic particle. --- Supernova. --- Superstring theory. --- Technology. --- Telescope. --- Temperature. --- Terrestrial Planet Finder. --- Theory of relativity. --- Theory. --- Uncertainty. --- Universe. --- Vacuum energy. --- Very Large Telescope. --- Wavelength. --- White dwarf. --- Year.