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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.
List of contents
The Renaissance of General Relativity in Context: A Historiographical Review.- The Socio-Epistemic Networks of General Relativity, 1925-1970.- Patronage of Gravitational Physics and the Relativity Community in the USA (1949-1959).- The Fock-Infeld Dispute: An Illustration of the Renaissance of General Relativity in the Soviet Union.- Tokyo Wheeler or the Epistemic Preconditions of the Renaissance of Relativity.- Cosmological Constant A vs. Massive Gravitons: A Case Study in General Relativity Exceptionalism vs. Particle Physics Egalitarianism.- Toward a Quantum Theory of Gravity: Syracuse 1949-1962.- Closing in on the Cosmos: Cosmology's Rebirth and the Rise of the Dark Matter Problem.- Gravitational-wave Research as an Emerging Field in the Max Planck Society: The Long Roots of GEO600 and of the Albert Einstein Institute.- The Origins of Virgo and the Emergence of the International Gravitational Wave Community.
Report
"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)
