The Scalar-Tensor Theory of Gravitation

Description

The scalar-tensor theory of gravitation is one of the most popular alternatives to Einstein's theory of gravitation. This book provides a clear and concise introduction to the theoretical ideas and developments, exploring scalar fields and placing them in context with a discussion of Brans-Dicke theory. Topics covered include the cosmological constant problem, time variability of coupling constants, higher dimensional space-time, branes and conformal transformations. The authors emphasise the physical applications of the scalar-tensor theory and thus provide a pedagogical overview of the subject, keeping more mathematically detailed sections for the appendices. This book is suitable for graduate courses in cosmology, gravitation and relativity. It will also provide a valuable reference for researchers.

Yasunori Fujii received his PhD on the analogy between the strong interaction and the electromagnetic interaction, from Nagoya University in 1959. Between 1963 and 1992 he did research on the theory of particle physics and gravity, including pioneering work on the idea of non-Newtonian gravity, at the Institute of Physics, University of Tokyo. During this period, he also spent two years at Stanford University and a year at Purdue University. He is currently emeritus professor at the University of Tokyo-Komaba and continues to pursue his research interests at the Nihon Fukushi University. Kai-Ichi Maeda received his PhD from Kyoto University in 1980. He and his contemporaries created a new research group in Kyoto, which was at the root of numerical relativity research in Japan. In 1983 he became a postdoctoral student at SISSA, Trieste working under Dennis Sciama. He moved to the Meudon Observatory in Paris in 1987 and worked on black hole solutions in string theory. In 1989 Professor Maeda became affiliated with the Department of Physics at Waseda University. Since 1998, he has been the associate editor of the Journal of General Relativity and Gravitation, and also the vice-chief editor of the Journal of the Physical Society of Japan since 2001.

'This book is an excellent readable introduction and up-to-date review of the subject.' Classical and Quantum Gravity 'I found the book to be a clearly written exposition of scalar-tensor theory, which extends to include many current issues in the field and some important ramifications of string theory cosmology ... I would certainly recommend this book to anyone wishing to acquire a solid introductory grounding in the area.' Mathematics Today '... this book gives an excellent pedagogical overview of the scalar-tensor theories. It provides a good background for young researchers to start their own investigations in this field. It is also suitable as a textbook for graduate courses in cosmology and gravitation.' General Relativity and Gravitation '... a clear and concise introduction to the theoretical ideas and developments ...' Zentralblatt MATH