V. Frolov - Böcker

This work covers practically all aspects of black hole physics and its astrophysical applications. Among the topics treated in depth are: spacetime of stationary black holes, general theory of black holes, black hole perturbations, black hole numerics, black hole electrodynamics, black holes in unified theories of gravity, quantum black holes, final states of evaporating black holes and the information loss puzzle. Special attention is paid to the role of black holes in astrophysics and observational evidence of black hole existence. Many exotic subjects linked with black holes, such as white holes, wormholes, and time machines are discussed in detail. Numerous appendices cover mathematical aspects of general relativity and black holes and quantum field theory in curved space time. This makes the book practically self-contained. Extensive references provide the reader with a guide to the literature in this field.

This volume on black holes can be seen as a sequel to Physics of Black Holes, published by Kluwer Academic Publishers in 1989. The authors are recognised experts in their field, and have many years' experience in teaching courses on general relativity and black holes.

One of the most exciting predictions of Einstein's theory of gravitationisthat there may exist 'black holes': putative objects whose gravitational fields are so strong that no physical bodies and signals can break free of their pull and escape. Even though a completely reliable discovery of a black hole has not yet been made, several objects among those scrutinized by astrophysicists will very likely be conformed as black holes. The proof that they do exist, and an analysis of their properties, would have a significance going far beyond astrophysics. Indeed, what is involved is not just the discovery of yet another, even if extremely remarkable, astrophysical object, but a test of the correctness of our understanding the properties of space and time in extremely strong gravitational fields. Theoretical research into the properties of black holes and into the possible corollaries of the hypothesis that they exist, has been carried out with special vigor since the beginning of the 1970s. In addition to those specific features of black holes that are important for the interpretation of their possible astrophysical manifestations, the theory has revealed a nurober of unexpected characteristics of physical interactions involving black holes. By now, a fairly detailed understanding has been achieved of the properties of the black holes, their possible astrophysical manifestations, and the specifics of the various physical processes involved. Furthermore, profound links were found between black-hole theory and such seemingly very distant fields as thermodynamics, information theory, and quantum theory.