Black Holes: Theory and Observation : Proceedings of the 179th W.E. Heraeus Seminar Held at Bad Honnef, Germany, 18-22 August 1997

Description

Einstein's gravitational theory predicts the existence of black holes, objects so dense that light cannot escape their gravitational field. Several types of black hole may exist: mini black holes, stellar black holes, and supermassive black holes with millions of solar masses. Experimental evidence for the existence of stellar and supermassive black holes continues to mount, so what was once considered to be science! fiction, has now become reality. This book gives a broad comprehensive introduction and, at the same time, an overview of all aspects of black hole physics. It should be comprehensible to all students in physics, astrophysics, and mathematics. A well-illustrated introduction, selected exercises, and a number of pictures and diagrams help to make the content more accessible. The text discusses observations of black holes in galactic centres and binary systems, a theory of accretion disks, the general relativistic description of black holes, as well as the thermodynamics of black holes and Hawking radiation. Black Holes: A General Introduction....Pages 3-34 Evidence for Massive Black Holes in the Nuclei of Active Galaxies from Gamma-Ray Observations....Pages 37-59 First Conclusive Evidence for a Massive Black Hole in the Center of the Milky Way....Pages 60-68 Broad Iron Lines in Active Galactic Nuclei: A Possible Test of the Kerr Metric?....Pages 69-79 Accretion and Winds around Galactic and Extragalactic Black Holes....Pages 80-107 The Membrane Model of Black Holes and Applications....Pages 111-156 Uniqueness Theorems for Black Hole Space-Times....Pages 157-186 Black Hole Hair: A Review....Pages 187-198 Local Version of the Area Theorem (on a Question by G. 't Hooft)....Pages 199-202 Black Holes as Exact Solutions of the Einstein-Maxwell Equations of Petrov Type D....Pages 203-223 On the Construction of Time-Symmetric Black Hole Initial Data....Pages 224-243 Numerical Approach to Black Holes....Pages 244-266 Measurement Theory and General Relativity....Pages 269-284 Boson Stars in the Centre of Galaxies?....Pages 285-288 Black Holes in Two Dimensions....Pages 289-316 Black Hole Thermodynamics....Pages 319-338 Gedanken Experiments in Black Hole Thermodynamics....Pages 339-363 Internal Structure of Black Holes....Pages 364-382 Quantum Fields near Black Holes....Pages 385-415 Towards a Full Quantum Theory of Black Holes....Pages 416-450 Quantum Information on the Black Hole Horizon....Pages 451-477 Panel Discussion: The Definitive Proofs of the Existence of Black Holes....Pages 481-489 Exercises....Pages 491-507