scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1795260
asymptotic flatnessEinstein's theorygeneral relativitygravitySchwarzschild spacetimesspacelike foliationsspacetime
History of mathematics in the 20th century (01A60) Research exposition (monographs, survey articles) pertaining to relativity and gravitational theory (83-02) Einstein's equations (general structure, canonical formalism, Cauchy problems) (83C05) Exact solutions to problems in general relativity and gravitational theory (83C15)
The present state of knowledge about Einstein's theory of space, time, and gravitation is explained and surveyed as far as it is not concerned with quantisation of the gravitational field. This is organised in 15 points: The first 11 points concern the foundations and show up the evidence and beauty of Einstein's settings which turned out when the theory was brought forward. The interaction of matter processes with the geometry of spacetime is assumed not to be restricted a priori by spacetime symmetries other than local Lorentz invariance and this requires independence of every physical statement of the choice of coordinates. It is an open and partially philosophical question whether spacelike foliations, global hyperbolicity, or asymptotic flatness should be required generally. The latter points 12 through 15 concern more problematic items and are subject of present research. Point 12 reports the initial value problem for Einstein's equations. The main features and results are sketched and the main literature is quoted. Point 13 is devoted to isolated systems like oscillating stars, \(n\)-body systems, or black-holes far from the rest of the world. Here the importance of the construction of conformal extensions of the Minkowski and Schwarzschild spacetimes and their relation to radiative solutions of the field equations is shortly described. As an outstanding open question the existence or non-existence of solutions being asymptotically flat and containing physically reasonable solutions is stressed. Reasons for the failure of present attempts to construct such solutions are described. Point 14 considers the structures of light cones and the phenomenon of gravitational lensing. Two tasks for future research are posed in Point 15. A more extensive cooperation of experimentalists and theoreticians on gravitational wave detection and black hole research is desirable and, eventually, more intense research on quantum theory on curved spacetimes. The paper is endowed with 36 references about the more involved topics surveyed. The paper is very instructive and well readable also for non specialists such that it can be recommended to anybody who wants to inform himself about the present state of general relativity and gravitation. For the entire collection see [Zbl 0985.00016].
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