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The Renaissance of General Relativity in Context

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  • © 2020

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Editors:
  1. Alexander S. Blum

    1. Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Germany

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  2. Roberto Lalli

    1. Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Germany

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  3. Jürgen Renn

    1. Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Germany

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  • Illustrates how general relativity developed from a marginal theory into a cornerstone of modern physics
  • Explores various historical episodes with a thorough analysis of the relevant scientific concepts, such as quantum theory, massive gravity, and dark matter
  • Engages in a truly interdisciplinary exploration of this prolific era of research, including chapters written by an international group of experts

Part of the book series: Einstein Studies (EINSTEIN, volume 16)

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Table of contents (10 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-x
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  2. The Renaissance of General Relativity in Context: A Historiographical Review

    • Alexander S. Blum, Roberto Lalli, Jürgen Renn
    Pages 1-14

  3. The Socio-Epistemic Networks of General Relativity, 1925–1970

    • Roberto Lalli, Riaz Howey, Dirk Wintergrün
    Pages 15-84

  4. Patronage of Gravitational Physics and the Relativity Community in the USA (1949–1959)

    • Dean Rickles
    Pages 85-111

  5. The Fock-Infeld Dispute: An Illustration of the Renaissance of General Relativity in the Soviet Union

    • Jean-Philippe Martinez
    Pages 113-139

  6. Tokyo Wheeler or the Epistemic Preconditions of the Renaissance of Relativity

    • Alexander S. Blum, Dieter Brill
    Pages 141-187

  7. Cosmological Constant Λ vs. Massive Gravitons: A Case Study in General Relativity Exceptionalism vs. Particle Physics Egalitarianism

    • J. Brian Pitts
    Pages 189-219

  8. Toward a Quantum Theory of Gravity: Syracuse 1949–1962

    • Donald Salisbury
    Pages 221-255

  9. Closing in on the Cosmos: Cosmology’s Rebirth and the Rise of the Dark Matter Problem

    • Jaco de Swart
    Pages 257-284

  10. Gravitational-Wave Research as an Emerging Field in the Max Planck Society: The Long Roots of GEO600 and of the Albert Einstein Institute

    • Luisa Bonolis, Juan-Andres Leon
    Pages 285-361

  11. The Origins of Virgo and the Emergence of the International Gravitational Wave Community

    • Adele La Rana
    Pages 363-406
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Keywords

About this book

This contributed volume explores the renaissance of general relativity after World War II, when it transformed from a marginal theory into a cornerstone of modern physics. Chapters explore key historical processes related to the theory of general relativity, in addition to presenting a thorough treatment of the relevant science behind these episodes. A broad historiographical framework is introduced first, thus providing the broad context in which the given computational approaches and case studies occurred. Written by an international and interdisciplinary group of expert authors, these chapters will bring readers to a more complete understanding of Einstein’s theory. Specific topics include:
  • Social and citation networks
  • The Fock-Infeld dispute
  • Wheeler’s turn to gravitation theory
  • The position of general relativity in theories of fundamental interactions
  • The pursuit of a quantum theory of gravity
  • The emergence of dark matter in relation to cosmological models
  • Institutional frameworks for gravitational wave search in Europe

The Renaissance of General Relativity in Context is ideal for historians, philosophers, and sociologists of science. Students and researchers in physics will also be interested in the topics explored.

Reviews

“The renaissance of general relativity provides a rich case study for thinking about fundamental problems of scientific change. … The book is a great cross section of those different approaches, which will make it valuable to scholars in history and sociology of physics … . Nevertheless, The Renaissance of General Relativity in Context will quickly become a classic in the history of the field, and it will perhaps spur new research programs of its own.” (Matthew Stanley, Physics Today, July, 2021)

Editors and Affiliations

  • Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Germany

    Alexander S. Blum, Roberto Lalli, Jürgen Renn

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