Cracking the Einstein Code: Relativity and the Birth of Black Hole Physics

by Fulvio Melia

Albert EinsteinOCOs theory of general relativity describes the effect of gravitation on the shape of space and the flow of time. But for more than four decades after its publication, the theory remained largely a curiosity for scientists; however accurate it seemed, EinsteinOCOs mathematical codeOCorepresented by six interlocking equationsOCowas one of the most difficult to crack in all of science. That is, until a twenty-nine-year-old Cambridge graduate solved the great riddle in 1963. Roy KerrOCOs solution emerged coincidentally with the discovery of black holes that same year and provided fertile testing groundOCoat long lastOCofor general relativity. Today, scientists routinely cite the Kerr solution, but even among specialists, few know the story of how Kerr cracked EinsteinOCOs code.

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Fulvio Melia here offers an eyewitness account of the events leading up to KerrOCOs great discovery. "Cracking the Einstein Code "vividly describes how luminaries such as Karl Schwarzschild, David Hilbert, and Emmy Noether set the stage for the Kerr solution; how Kerr came to make his breakthrough; and how scientists such as Roger Penrose, Kip Thorne, and Stephen Hawking used the accomplishment to refine and expand modern astronomy and physics. Today more than 300 million supermassive black holes are suspected of anchoring their host galaxies across the cosmos, and the Kerr solution is what astronomers and astrophysicists use to describe much of their behavior.

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By unmasking the history behind the search for a real world solution to EinsteinOCOs field equations, Melia offers a first-hand account of an important but untold story. Sometimes dramatic, often exhilarating, but always attuned to the human element, "Cracking the Einstein Code" is ultimately a showcase of how important science gets done.

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Genres: Science, Physics, History, Mathematics

151 pages, Unknown Binding

First published October 1, 2009

About the author

Fulvio Melia is an Italian-American physicist/astrophysicist and author. He is Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Arizona and Associate Editor of the Astrophysical Journal Letters. A former Presidential Young Investigator and Sloan Research Fellow, he is the author of six books and more than 230 articles on theoretical astrophysics.

-Wikipedia

Reviews

[Gabriel Macedo · Rating 4 out of 5]

[4/5]

An interesting piece on the history of the Kerr solution. As far as I'm aware, there are not many popular science books devoted to the so-called "golden age of black hole physics" (1963 - 1973), and this one does a pretty good job in contextualizing the work done in that period.

Due to its briefness, some explanations are somewhat oversimplified, specially those regarding quantum mechanics (intentionally, I believe). Nevertheless, throughtout the text a number of key concepts in general relativity are presented to a general (no pun intended) audience in a uniformly good manner, taking into account the size of the book.

I particularly enjoyed learning about Kerr's life and the scientific work which lead him to his famous discovery. Also, bonus points for the explanation of Emmy Noether's work on general relativity :)

[Shinynickel]

Off this review:

Cracking the Einstein Code: Relativity and the Birth of Black Hole Physics
By Fulvio Melia (University of Chicago Press)
Einstein’s theory of general relativity was around for decades before it was possible for astrophysicists to study it. And when they finally cracked the code, they simultaneously discovered black holes. In this gripping intellectual history of the Golden Age of General Relativity, Melia, an astrophysicist, introduces a cast of driven, thoughtful young scientists who dedicated their careers to divining the physical manifestations of Einstein’s theories. The book, studded with candid photographs of everyone from Roger Penrose to Vitaly Ginzburg, follows mathematician Roy Kerr as he strives to develop the first exact solution to the Einstein equations, forever altering physics.

[Miguel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this about 3 years ago, when learning about the Kerr solution was just a bit of fun. I never expected I’d actually be studying it formally.

This book serves as a great mini history of “The Golden Age of Relativity” in the 60s and 70s, and as a biography of Roy Kerr himself.

Even being written for a popular audience, the very lucid description has helped me refine my understanding of spinning black holes. It has even given me ideas for how to handle my current research into spinning black holes in conformal gravity.

I will say that there were some explanations, especially in the Special Relativity part that perhaps deserved a bit of refinement to be more easily understandable.

[Jessada Karnjana · Rating 5 out of 5]

ในงาน Texas Symposium ที่ Dallas ปี 63 นักคณิตศาสตร์หนุ่มชาวนิวซีแลนด์ Roy Kerr ผู้ซึ่งขณะนั้นยังไม่เป็นที่รู้จัก ได้พูดผลงานเกี่ยวกับผลเฉลยชุดสมการสนามสัมพัทธภาพทั่วไปของไอน์สไตน์ที่เขาหาคำตอบได้สำเร็จ ใช้เวลาประมาณ 10 นาที และไม่มีผู้ใดสนใจรับฟัง จนทำให้นักทฤษฎีสัมพัทธภาพแนวหน้าคนหนึ่งแห่งยุค Achilles Papapetrou อดรนทนไม่ไหวต้องลุกขึ้นบอกกับผู้ฟังคนอื่น ๆ ว่าสิ่งที่ Kerr ค้นพบนั้นเขาและผู้ร่วมงานค้นหาอย่างล้มเหลวมากว่าสามสิบปี ต่อมาเรารู้ว่านั่นคือคำบรรยายที่สมบูรณ์ของ spinning black hole หนังสือ Cracking the Einstein Code ของ Fulvio Melia ศาสตราจารย์ฟิสิกส์และดาราศาสตร์แห่งมหาวิทยาลัยแอริโซนาเล่มนี้ เล่าเกี่ยวกับเหตุการณ์ในช่วงยุคทองของสัมพัทธภาพซึ่งกินเวลาตั้งแต่ปี 1960 ถึง 75 ...

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[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book. It's rather too hagiographic, and the writing isn't great, but it's still worth a read.

The unfortunate truth is that such a book had to be written by a scientist - no historian or professional writer could have the grasp of GR necessary to write it properly - but that means it doesn't follow norms for history of science, nor is the writing great.

Technical note, I found it odd that Melia claimed there were about 15,000 quasars known when he was writing (p. 112). This book appears to have been written in 2007-2008 (it was published in 2009). I happened to be quite active in quasar observations at this time, so I knew that number was wrong. It was no great task to look up the 12th edition of the famous Véron-Cetty & Véron catalog (2006, A&A, 455, 773), and find that it listed over 85,000 quasars. But even their 11th edition (from 2003) had nearly 50,000 quasars, so it's just bizarre that a professional astrophysicist would get the number so wrong. He appears to have been unaware of the SDSS, or even 2dF (which brought the 10th edition of VCV, published in 2001, to nearly 24,000 quasars).

[Sassan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good read for one wanting to understand the concept of relativity in a straightforward and elegant manner. An excellent dedication to Roy Kerr who has helped us better understand the nature of relativity and black hole physics. A highly recommended read.

[J.F. Ramirez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having worked with the Kerr metric in the past, and having a fair understanding of the machinery of GR, it was great to read a historical narrative that puts into perspective the people and the work done during the golden age of relativity.