Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy (Commonwealth Fund Book Program)

This book is a tour de force of astrophysics history since Einstein introduced General Relativity. It covers the history and conceptual development of astro physical bodies developed from implosion of stars of any size and the gravitational effects resulted due to General Relativity. It should be a reference book for any students of General Relatvity and astrophysics. It covers black holes, white dwarfs, pulsars, neutron stars, quasars, super novas and binary system involving them, and worm holes.Thorne began with the introduction of General Relativity from Einstein and the introduction of black holes as Schwarzchild's singularities which Einstein rejected due to his reluctance of accepting gravitational singularity. The book continues to show how Chandrasekhar develops the Chandrasekhar Limit of white dwarf as a collapsing star under 1.4 solar mass. Next the book shows how implosion is a normal process of a dying star burning off its fuel; and a neutron star is resulted from an imploding star under 2 solar mass with 10 % of its mass released as energy as developed by Zwicky.Then Thorne discusses his own Hoop Conjecture about how black hole is formed by a hoop over a rotating imploding star at critical circumference. Also discussed in detail is the "black hole with no hair" phenomenon of Price Theory according to which a black hole loses its magnetic field into dissipating gravitational energy during implosion.The search for black hole in the sky began with looking for a possible binary star system one of which is a black hole or neutron star using both optical and x ray telescopes. X ray astronomy is developed as a result of searching for black holes. In such a binary star system, the star would exhibit orbital perturbation due to gravity from the black hole as well as alternating blue and red shift from rotation. Black holes would be emitting x ray in such a binary system. Another area of astronomy that is developed due to black holes research is radio astronomy. Large black holes rotations which are the radio wave source of quasars and large distant galaxies are searched by radio telescope.  In order to develop better way to measure gravitational waves, the ambitious LIGO Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory was developed by Thorne. He discussed how his Caltech/MIT team detect gravitational waves based on the length difference of two 4km length L shape beams in Washington and Louisiana measured by laser. This project resulted in Thorne and his team to receive the Nobel prize in 2017. LIGO is designed to detect gravitational waves emitted from ripples of curvature from two rotating black holes.   Thorne also discussed how Penrose used topology in mathematics to explain connection between objects and Hawking black hole evaporation from vacuum fluctuation.  Thorne ends his book with his paper on the initial research of worm hole as time machine and the need of exotic material, material with negative energy density to keep the worm hole staying open. He also presented his effort to deal with Polchinski's colliding Particle paradox if a particle is to exit in the past in a worm hole.This book, though is overwhelming in length and details, but written in lucid, smooth, and direct prose making it easy to follow.  There are boxes with further technical details throughout the entire book for anyone who wants to explore conceptual or experimental details in further depth.

We all had a copy of A Brief History of Time, Thumbed half-way and abandoned and left on the coffee table.This one is epic, easy to read, and leads chronologically the great discoveries in astrophysics.Dr. Thorne has a gift for communication, after the first few pages, I knew I’d finish it.Would highly recommend to anyone curious to get a comprehensive overview of the marvels of our universe.If you have no physics at all, start here.

What sealed the deal for me on this book was that it was written by a famous name in general relativity. His name shows up everywhere in books along these lines. One imagines that persons like that, perhaps, are not inclined to BS their explanations, so you can sort out the nonsense that might appear in breezy science books and articles. Obviously this is not always the case. Scientists, being people too, will take the opportunity of their book to hype their personal agenda on subjects extraneous to their expertise. Let's be frank. Steven Hawkings books are basically vague, almost giving you an idea of what he is talking about, but not quite. You get some kind of amazed feeling. That feeling, with the man's impeding disability, is what made the Hawking phenomenon what it was. This Kip Thorne book is a masterpiece in what it attempts and succeeds at. Steven Hawking is a punk. Kip Thorne only gets into one or two personal agendas that I noticed, and he is so up-front and brief about it that it easy to handle. For some reason, the sponsors of this book let him do it the way he wanted, and include all the detail he thought was warranted, and let him take all the time he cared to take doing it. He must have had a fabulous editor. Either that or he is one of the most accomplished expositors that has every lived. The careful, extended explanations of special and general relativity start off the book rather slowly if you have seen these before. Actually Kip Thorne includes more than usual in his explanation of general relativity. They just serve to give you a solid perspective before going into what has happened since Einstein kicked physics in the rear. Kip Thorne emphasizes that Einstein himself was totally against physically cut-off regions (black holes) and singularities actually existing, despite their mathematical inevitability from the very equations he originated. (Not that surprisingly if you know something of Einstein's single-minded belief in extending "normal" physics, not discarding it.) There is possibly as much material that is not physics, but about the people and their political environment, in this book than physics. That material is if anything more interesting than the physics. I don't think a shorter book without that material would be good. Pedagogically, the hard science parts strain the brain, and the personality material serves to let the brain recharge. This happens to make it a better science presentation too. If Kip Thorne wanted to expand this material, and leave out the physics, I'd buy that book too, it is so perceptive. I am giving the book a 5 not because I love it, but because this is one of the most valuable books, by my own personal values, that I have ever encountered. Large portions of the book were a strain; hard work to focus my brain on to the degree necessary to understand. That's why I say I did not love it, in the sense that one might love a thriller adventure. In that sense though it was maybe a 4.

An excellent book!

O início do livro é meio chatinho mas já a partir do capítulo 2 já se torna muito interessante. Trata de assuntos muito interessantes e é muito fácil de entender. Ideal para quem, assim como eu, é entusiasta no assunto.

Jag är en stor fan av Kip Thorne, och så långt jag hittills har läst boken (ca 20%), har jag inte blivit besviken.

Kip Thorne's "Black Holes And Time Warps" is a tour de force in astrophysics literature, offering a captivating journey through the enigmatic realms of black holes and the fabric of spacetime. Thorne, a renowned theoretical physicist, masterfully navigates the complexities of these cosmic phenomena, making them accessible to both scientific enthusiasts and seasoned scholars alike.Through eloquent prose and vivid analogies, Thorne takes readers on a compelling exploration of black holes, from their theoretical origins to the latest discoveries. He seamlessly weaves together cutting-edge research, historical anecdotes, and thought experiments to paint a comprehensive picture of these cosmic giants and their profound implications for our understanding of the universe.One of the book's greatest strengths lies in its ability to convey complex concepts with clarity and depth. Thorne's intuitive explanations, supplemented by insightful diagrams and illustrations, demystify intricate theories such as general relativity, gravitational waves, and the nature of space and time.Moreover, "Black Holes And Time Warps" is not merely a scientific exposition but also a testament to Thorne's passion for storytelling. His narrative prowess imbues the book with a sense of wonder and curiosity, inviting readers to embark on a mind-bending odyssey through the cosmos.In summary, Kip Thorne's "Black Holes And Time Warps" is a seminal work that illuminates the mysteries of the universe with elegance and precision. It is essential reading for anyone fascinated by the wonders of astrophysics and the boundless mysteries that lie beyond the horizon of human knowledge.

Interesante y entretenido