Springer Handbook of Spacetime

The Springer Handbook of Spacetime is dedicated to the ground-breaking paradigm shifts embodied in the two relativity theories, and describes in detail the profound reshaping of physical sciences they ushered in. It includes in a single volume chapters on foundations, on the underlying mathematics, on physical and astrophysical implications, experimental evidence and cosmological predictions, as well as chapters on efforts to unify general relativity and quantum physics. The Handbook can be used as a desk reference by researchers in a wide variety of fields, not only by specialists in relativity but also by researchers in related areas that either grew out of, or are deeply influenced by, the two relativity theories: cosmology, astronomy and astrophysics, high energy physics, quantum field theory, mathematics, and philosophy of science. It should also serve as a valuable resource for graduate students and young researchers entering these areas, and for instructors who teach courses on these subjects.

The Handbook is divided into six parts. Part A: Introduction to Spacetime Structure. Part B: Foundational Issues. Part C: Spacetime Structure and Mathematics. Part D: Confronting Relativity theories with observations. Part E: General relativity and the universe. Part F: Spacetime beyond Einstein.

Preface (A. Ashtekar, V. Petkov).- Part A – Introduction to Spacetime Structure.- Chap. 1 From Aether Theory to Special Relativity.- Chap. 2 The Historical Origins of Spacetime.- Chap. 3 Relativity Today.- Chap. 4 Acceleration and Gravity: Einstein's Principle.- Chap. 5 The Geometry of Newton's and Einstein's Theories.- Part B – Foundational Issues.- Chap. 6 Time in Special Relativity.- Chap. 7 Rigid Motion and Adapted Frames.- Chap. 8 Physics as Spacetime Geometry.- Chap. 9 Electrodynamics of Radiating Charges.- Chap. 10 The Nature and Origin of Time-Asymmetric Spacetime Structures.- Chap. 11 Teleparallelism: A new Insight into Gravity.- Chap. 12 Gravity and the Spacetime: An Emergent Perspective.- Chap. 13 Spacetime and the Passage of Time.- Part C – Spacetime Structure and Mathematics.- Chap. 14 Unitary Representations of the Inhomogeneous Lorentz Group and Their Significance in Quantum Physics.- Chap. 15 Spinors.- Chap. 16 The Initial Value Problem in General Relativity.- Chap. 17 Dynamical and Hamiltonian Formulation of General Relativity.- Chap. 18 Positive Energy Theorems in General Relativity.- Chap. 19 Conserved Charges in Asymptotically (Locally) AdS Spacetimes.- Chap. 20 Spacetime Singularities.- Chap. 21 Singularities in Cosmological Spacetimes.- Part D – Confronting Relativity theories with observations.- Chap. 22 The experimental status of Special and General Relativity Chap. 23. Observational Constraints on Local Lorentz Invariance.- Chap. 24 Relativity in GNSS.- Chap. 25 Quasi Local Black Hole Horizons.- Chap. 26 Gravitational Astronomy.- Chap. 27 Probing Dynamical Spacetimes with Gravitational Waves.- Part E – General Relativity and the Universe.- Chap. 28 Einstein's Equation, Cosmology and Astrophysics.- Chap. 29 Viscous Universe Models.- Chap. 30 Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker Cosmology.- Chap. 31 Exact Approach to Inflationary Universe Models.- Chap. 32 Cosmology with the Cosmic Microwave Background.- Part F – Spacetime Beyond Einstein.- Chap. 33 Quantum Gravity.- Chap. 34 Quantum Gravity via Causal Dynamical Triangulations.- Chap. 35 String Theory and Primordial Cosmology.- Chap. 36 Quantum Spacetime.- Chap. 37 Gravity, Geometry and the Quantum.- Chap. 38 Spin Foams.- Chap. 39 Loop Quantum Cosmology.- Acknowledgements.- About the Authors.- Subject Index.

Abhay Ashtekar is Eberly Professor of Physics and Director of the Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos at The Pennsylvania State University. He is one of the founders of Loop Quantum Gravity and its subfield Loop Quantum Cosmology. He is author or co-author of several books on relativity and cosmology, and an editor-in-chief of the Springer journal “General Relativity and Gravitation”.

Vesselin Petkov received a graduate degree in physics from Sofia University, a doctorate in philosophy from the Institute for Philosophical Research of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, and a doctorate in physics from Concordia University in Montreal. Vesselin Petkov is one of the founding members of the Institute for Foundational Studies "Hermann Minkowski".