| Reviews |
| - 'This book maintains a high level of clarity throughout, and is written with admirable patience. It will be found very useful by a begining researcher in quantum gravity who wants to have a comprehensive overview of the subject. Equally well, senior researchers in the field will find it a handy reference for standard analyses of various aspects of the subject. Gen.Realtiv.Gravi. (2006) 38(1):
183-185' -
|
| Description | | - Very "hot" topic in theoretical physics, addressing one of biggest open problems.
- Good up-to-date introduction to the subject.
- Covers all aspects of quantum gravity in a very broad manner.
- Gives detailed presentation of main approaches employed in quantum general relativity.
- Provides overview of existing literature.
| The search for a quantum theory of the gravitational field is one of the great open problems in theoretical physics. This book presents a self-contained discussion of the concepts, methods and applications that can be expected in such a theory. The two main approaches to its construction - the direct quantisation of Einstein's general theory of relativity and string theory - are covered.
Whereas the first attempts to construct a viable theory for the gravitational field alone, string theory assumes that a quantum theory of gravity will be achieved only through a unification of all the interactions. However, both employ the general method of quantisation of constrained systems, which is described together with illustrative examples relevant for quantum gravity. There is a detailed
presentation of the main approaches employed in quantum general relativity: path-integral quantisation, the background-field method and canonical quantum gravity in the metric, connection and loop formulations. The discussion of string theory centres around its quantum-gravitational aspects and the comparison with quantum general relativity. Physical applications discussed at length include the
quantisation of black holes, quantum cosmology, the indications of a discrete structure of spacetime, and the origin of irreversibility. This book will be of interest to researchers and students working in relativity and gravitation, cosmology, quantum field theory and related topics. It will also be of interest to mathematicians and philosophers of science.
|
Readership: Graduates and researchers working in theoretical physics, mathematics and philosophy of science.
| Contents |
1.
Why quantum gravity?
2.
Covariant approaches to quantum gravity
3.
Parameterised and relational systems
4.
Hamiltonian formulation of general relativity
5.
Quantum geometrodynamics
6.
Canonical quantum gravity with connections and loops
7.
Quantisation of black holes
8.
Quantum cosmology
9.
String theory
10.
Quantum gravity and the interpretation of quantum theory
11.
References
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| Authors, editors,
and contributors |
Claus Kiefer, Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Cologne
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