Black Holes, Cosmology and Extra Dimensions

Assuming basic knowledge of special and general relativity, this book guides the reader to problems under consideration in modern research, concerning black holes, wormholes, cosmology, and extra dimensions. Its first part is devoted to local strong field configurations (black holes and wormholes) in general relativity and its most relevant extensions: scalar–tensor, f^®, and multidimensional theories. The second part discusses cosmology, including inflation and problems of a unified description of the whole evolution of the universe. The third part concerns multidimensional theories of gravity and contains a number of original results obtained by the authors. Expository work is conducted for a mechanism of symmetries and fundamental constants formation. The original approach to nonlinear multidimensional gravity that is able to construct a unique perspective describing different phenomena is highlighted.Much of the content was previously presented only in journal publications and is new for book contents, e.g., on regular black holes, various scalar field solutions, wormholes and their stability, inflation, clusters of primordial black holes, and multidimensional gravity. The last two topics are added in this new edition of the book. The other chapters are also updated to include new discoveries like the detection of gravitational waves.Contents: Modern Ideas of Gravitation and Cosmology — A Brief EssayGravitation:Fundamentals of General RelativitySpherically Symmetric Space–Times: Black HolesSpherical Space–Times with Scalar FieldsMore About Black HolesWormholesStability of Spherically Symmetric ConfigurationsCosmology:Stages of the Universe's EvolutionField Dynamics in the Inflationary PeriodThe Large-Scale StructureExtra Dimensions:Multidimensional Gravity with Higher-Order DerivativesThe Emergence of Physical LawsAppendices:A Controversy Between Adherents of Multiple Universes (M) and an Ultimate Unified Theory (U)Why Do Correct Theories Look Elegant?
Readership: Advanced undergraduate and graduate students, researchers in gravitation and cosmology.General Relativity;Theoretical Cosmology;Extra Dimensions;Black Holes;Wormholes;Global Structure;Stability;Primordial Black Holes;InflationReview of the First Edition:The book concentrates on the issues which the authors have found especially interesting and that have figured in their own research, carried out over the 30 years or so. In other words, it is written from a distinct perspective. For anyone wishing to push these ideas forward and in particular for graduate students, having completed courses on standard material and looking out for possible research topics or just seeking an overview for directions going beyond the conventional, this book can be recommended. — Contemporary PhysicsKey Features:
Detailed description of new results in wormhole physics including spherical and cylindrical symmetries and stability issuesSystematically present methodology of describing global causal structures of black hole space-timesVarious methods of working in the framework of gravity with higher derivatives are discussed