Overview

This book journeys into one of the most fascinating intellectual adventures of recent decades - understanding and exploring the final fate of massive collapsing stars in the universe. The issue is of great interest in fundamental physics and cosmology today, from both the perspective of gravitation theory and of modern astrophysical observations. This is a revolution in the making and may be intimately connected to our search for a unified understanding of the basic forces of nature, namely gravity that governs the cosmological universe, and the microscopic forces that include quantum phenomena.According to the general theory of relativity, a massive star that collapses catastrophically under its own gravity when it runs out of its internal nuclear fuel must give rise to a space-time singularity. Such singularities are regions in the universe where all physical quantities take their extreme values and become arbitrarily large. The singularities may be covered within a black hole, or visible to faraway observers in the universe. Thus, the final fate of a collapsing massive star is either a black hole or a visible naked singularity. We discuss here recent results and developments on the gravitational collapse of massive stars and possible observational implications when naked singularities happen in the universe. Large collapsing massive stars and the resulting space-time singularities may even provide a laboratory in the cosmos where one could test the unification possibilities of basic forces of nature.

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9780198818878

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Reviews

Pankaj Joshi has written a wonderful book, full of challenges for the reader and also for all physicists! Only in 1998 did dark energy become established, subverting common thought. Joshi takes it all in and he teaches us to listen to nature to figure out how to progress and make the leap to quantum gravity, the final unification of the fundamental forces in nature. * Peter L. Biermann, Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, Germany * Being written at the level of popular literature on physics and astronomy, this book leads the reader to the current frontier of research in gravitation theory without hiding the yet-unsolved problems and differences of opinion among specialists. In this respect it is unique, and will be extremely valuable reading. * Andrzej Krasinski, Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center * ... a good and an enjoyable read ... engaging narrative. * Contemporary Physics * In this lucid overview, theoretical astrophysicist Pankaj Joshi corrals the research on collapsing massive stars and space-time singularities, including the idea that the event horizon might be a firewall of fierce radiation. Joshi sees work in these areas as a lab for testing the pressing problems in fundamental physics and beyond * Nature * Joshi's book will inspire graduate students ... Recommended. * Choice * Although meant for a popular audience, The Story of Collapsing Stars presents the open research questions so clearly that it can also serve as a valuable starting point for scientists and students considering research in the area of gravitational collapse. * Physics Today *

"Although meant for a popular audience, The Story of Collapsing Stars presents the open research questions so clearly that it can also serve as a valuable starting point for scientists and students considering research in the area of gravitational collapse. * Physics Today * Joshi's book will inspire graduate students ... Recommended. * Choice * In this lucid overview, theoretical astrophysicist Pankaj Joshi corrals the research on collapsing massive stars and space-time singularities, including the idea that the event horizon might be a firewall of fierce radiation. Joshi sees work in these areas as a lab for testing the pressing problems in fundamental physics and beyond * Nature * ... a good and an enjoyable read ... engaging narrative. * Contemporary Physics * Being written at the level of popular literature on physics and astronomy, this book leads the reader to the current frontier of research in gravitation theory without hiding the yet-unsolved problems and differences of opinion among specialists. In this respect it is unique, and will be extremely valuable reading. * Andrzej Krasinski, Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center * Pankaj Joshi has written a wonderful book, full of challenges for the reader and also for all physicists! Only in 1998 did dark energy become established, subverting common thought. Joshi takes it all in and he teaches us to ""listen to nature"" to figure out how to progress and make the leap to quantum gravity, the final unification of the fundamental forces in nature. * Peter L. Biermann, Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, Germany *"

Author Information

Dr Pankaj S. Joshi works as a Senior Professor with the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai. His research is in the fields of gravitation and cosmology and he has published more than 150 research papers as well as monographs and books on the subject. He has held visiting faculty positions in several countries doing research and lecturing on these topics and has won several awards as well as Fellowships to scientific academies. Professor Joshi has made fundamental contributions in black hole physics and gravitation theory. His extensive analysis of general relativistic gravitational collapse has been widely recognized as providing significant insights into the final fate of massive collapsing stars in the universe, formation of space-time singularities, and cosmic censorship. He has also contributed a large number of books and articles towards science outreach and has given many public lectures.

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