The Large Scale Structure of Space-Time (1973) - Stephen Hawking

The Large Scale Structure of Space-Time (1973) - Stephen Hawking

The Large Scale Structure of Space-Time is 1973 book by Stephen Hawking and George Ellis on the theoretical physics of spacetime.

Hawking and Ellis attempt to describe the foundation of space itself and its nature of infinite expansion, using differential geometry to examine the consequences of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity.

Hawking co-wrote the book with Ellis, while a post doc at Cambridge University. In his 1988 book A Brief History of Time, he describes The Large Scale Structure of Space-Time as "highly technical" and unreadable for the common reader.

Einstein's General Theory of Relativity leads to two remarkable predictions: first, that the ultimate destiny of many massive stars is to undergo gravitional collapse and to disappear from view, leaving behind a' black hole' in space; and secondly, that there will exist singularities in space -time itself. These singularities are places where space-time begins or ends, and the presently known laws of physics break down. They will occur inside black holes, and in the past are what might be construed as the beginning of the universe.

Einstein's General Theory of Relativity leads to two remarkable predictions: first, that the ultimate destiny of many massive stars is to undergo gravitational collapse and to disappear from view, leaving behind a 'black hole' in space; and secondly, that there will exist singularities in space-time itself. These singularities are places where space-time begins or ends, and the presently known laws of physics break down. They will occur inside black holes, and in the past are what might be construed as the beginning of the universe. To show how these predictions arise, the authors discuss the General Theory of Relativity in the large. Starting with a precise formulation of the theory and an account of the necessary background of differential geometry, the significance of space-time curvature is discussed and the global properties of a number of exact solutions of Einstein's field equations are examined. The theory of the causal structure of a general space-time is developed, and is used to study black holes and to prove a number of theorems establishing the inevitability of singualarities under certain conditions. A discussion of the Cauchy problem for General Relativity is also included in this 1973 book.

Book Description:

This 1973 book discusses Einstein's General Theory of Relativity and its two remarkable predictions: first, that the ultimate destiny of many massive stars is to undergo gravitational collapse and to disappear from view, leaving behind a 'black hole' in space; and secondly, that there will exist singularities in space-time itself.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Wormholes, although theoretical, are 'tunnels' or shortcuts predicted by Einstein's theory of relativity that link two places in space-time --- as visualized above --- where negative energy pulls space and time into the mouth of a tunnel, emerging in another time or place in the universe, or possibly even another universe. Wormholes remain hypothetical but have been used in science fiction and films as conduits for time travel, for example as found in the movie Time Bandits (1981), where their locations are shown on a celestial.