Metric theories of gravity. Perturbations and conservation laws (Q528893): Difference between revisions

The notion ``Metric theory of gravity'' is used in two different versions in the literature: On the one hand, it is used in the context of ``Alternative theories of gravitation'' which describes the set of all theories of gravitation different from Einstein's one to describe those ``Alternatives'' where the gravitational field is completely modeled by the metrical tensor. Other ``Alternatives'' are Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet gravity, scalar-tensor theories, theories with torsion, bimetric theories etc. On the other hand, the notion ``Metric theory of gravity'' is used to describe \textit{all} those theories of gravity including Einstein's one, where the gravitational field is completely modeled by the metrical tensor. It is the second of these versions which is applied in the present book. In fact, one half of the book deals with Einstein's theory. The subtitle ``Perturbations and conservation laws'' describes the main set of topics of this book. In the preface the authors explain that the theory of perturbations is much more than simply one of many possible approximation methods, they write: ``Indeed, the very construction of the Noether and Belinfante methods allow us to treat perturbations exactly with no approximation involved.'' (page vii). In details: The ten chapters are headed as follows: 1. Conservation laws in theoretical physics: a brief introduction, 2. Field-theoretical formulation of general relativity: the theory, 3. Asymptotically flat spacetime in the field-theoretical formulation, 4. Exact solutions of general relativity in the field-theoretical formalism, 5. Field-theoretical derivation of cosmological perturbations, 6. Currents and superpotentials on arbitrary backgrounds: three approaches, 7. Conservation laws in arbitrary multi-dimensional metric theory, 8. Conserved quantities in the Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet gravity, 9. Generic gravity: particle content, weak field limits, conserved charges, 10. Conservation laws in covariant field theories with gauge symmetries. Three appendices, bibliography and index close this interesting book. To the authors: Petrov works in Moscow, Russia; Kopeikin in Missouri, USA; Lompay in Uzhgorod, Ukraine; and Tekin in Ankara, Turkey.