The Cosmological Singularity
The Cosmological Singularity
Marc Henneaux, Université Libre de Bruxelles
$184.00
USDWritten for researchers focusing on general relativity, supergravity, and cosmology, this is a self-contained exposition of the structure of the cosmological singularity in generic solutions of the Einstein equations, and an up-to-date mathematical derivation of the theory underlying the Belinski–Khalatnikov–Lifshitz (BKL) conjecture on this field. Part I provides a comprehensive review of the theory underlying the BKL conjecture. The generic asymptotic behavior near the cosmological singularity of the gravitational field, and fields describing other kinds of matter, is explained in detail. Part II focuses on the billiard reformulation of the BKL behavior. Taking a general approach, this section does not assume any simplifying symmetry conditions and applies to theories involving a range of matter fields and space-time dimensions, including supergravities. Overall, this book will equip theoretical and mathematical physicists with the theoretical fundamentals of the Big Bang, Big Crunch, Black Hole singularities, the billiard description, and emergent mathematical structures.
- A self-contained exposition of the structure of the cosmological singularity in generic solutions of the Einstein equations
- Provides a complete mathematical derivation of the theory underlying the BKL conjecture
- Its General approach allows application to theories involving a range of matter fields and space-time dimensions
Reviews & endorsements
'The present monograph is a carefully developed overview about the mathematical details of the big bang singularity, mainly within (but not restricted to) general relativity theory. Chapter 1 presents the basic structure of the singularity, including the Kasner-like and the oscillatory-like cases. Chapters 2 and 3 deal with the Bianchi models, especially the BLK-cases Bianchi VIII and IX and the chaotic character observed there. In chapter 4, the influence of matter and/or changed space-time dimension are discussed. Chapters 5 and 6 deal with the billiard representation of the dynamical system describing the approach to the singularity by a mathematical equivalence of the system of equations to the motion of a point particle in a region with boundary, where (like in the billiard game), the article is reflected at the boundary. This idea is formalized in chapter 7 by the introduction of the Coxeter group. The appendices are useful for several topics, e.g., the spinor field and the Kac-Moody algebra.' Hans-Jürgen Schmidt, Zentralblatt MATH
'This monograph discusses at length the structure of the general solution of the Einstein equations with a cosmological singularity in Einstein-matter systems in four and higher space-time dimensions, starting from the fundamental work of Belinski (the book's lead author), Khalatnikov and Lifshitz (BKL) - published in 1969. … Quite technical and advanced, this book is meant for theoretical and mathematical physicists working on general relativity, supergravity and cosmology.' CERN Courier
Product details
October 2017Hardback
9781107047471
278 pages
260 × 185 × 21 mm
0.66kg
10 b/w illus. 8 tables
Temporarily unavailable - available from TBC
Table of Contents
- Preface
- 1. Introduction and outline
- Part I. BKL Analysis:
- 2. Basic structure of cosmological singularity
- 3. Homogeneous cosmological models
- 4. On the cosmological chaos
- 5. On the Inuence of matter and spacetime dimension
- Part II. Cosmological Billiards:
- 6. The billiard of four-dimensional vacuum gravity
- 7. General Cosmological Billiards
- 8. Hyperbolic Coxeter groups
- Appendix A. Various technical derivations
- Appendix B. Homogeneous spaces and Bianchi classification
- Appendix C. Spinor field
- Appendix D. Lorentzian Kac-Moody algebras
- References
- Index.
