Customer Reviews

The Mathematical Theory of Black Holes (Oxford Classic Texts in the Physical Sciences)

5 star:		(1)
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3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

"The black holes of nature are the most perfect macroscopic objects there are in the universe: the only elements in their construction are our concepts of space and time. And since the general theory of relativity provides only a single unique family of solutions for their descriptions, they are the simplest objects as well." Well, yes, but somehow these simple object have given rise here to over 3500 numbered equations, one of which occupies nearly two pages. Deriving the unique family of equations for the rotating black hole is not easy, and then there are the questions of the scattering of electromagnetic waves, particles, or gravitational waves by black holes. At the end of a hundred-page chapter on the gravitational perterbations of a Kerr black hole, with 533 numbered equations, we find the note, "Every effort has been taken to present the mathematical developments in this chapter in a comprehensible logical sequence. But the nature of the developments simply does not allow a presentation that can be followed in detail with modest effort: the reductions that are necessary to go from one step to another are often very elaborate and, on occasion, may require as many as ten, twenty, or even fifty pages. . . . The author's derivations (in some 600 legal-size pages and six additional notebooks), have been deposited . . . ." Not for the faint-hearted.

I cannot give this book 5 stars because it is written in such a dry fashion that it is terrible reading, certain to put you to sleep. Nonetheless, I recommend it if you are a serious student of relativity because it contains everything you need to know about black holes and the mathematical formalism of relativity in general (i.e. good for study of gravity waves etc). While to read it from cover to cover would be an exercise in torture, it makes an excellent reference book.

First of all let me say that this book is a member of the hypersonic suppository school of presentation. I wish those that attempt to learn the tetrad and Newman-Penrose methods from this book only good luck. That said, this book contains the most extensive treatment of black holes I have seen anywhere. Period. The section in this book on Kerr black holes inspired me to seek and find a physically meaningful interior solution for the Kerr black hole. I have to admit it: the tetrad and Newman-Penrose treatments inspired me to master these techniques. In the long run that is what this book has done - inspired me. Anything by S. Chandrasekhar does that to me.