Focus on Spacetime 100 Years Later

Among the remarkable new ideas that Einstein introduced into physics in 1905 was the revision of our concept of space and time. His special theory of relativity quickly became incorporated into all of physics. This cannot be said of his later general relativity, the ultimate outgrowth of his original insight 100 years ago. In the general theory, curvature of Einsteinian spacetime was introduced to represent gravitation. For many years the general theory remained an intellectual and aesthetic triumph with little connection to the rest of physics. This has now all changed dramatically, and the broader physics community may not be aware of the extent of the change. The general theory is at the centre of new modes of astronomical observation; it is being tested in laboratories and on large scales; it is crucial to understanding some of the most exciting astrophysical discoveries; it presents a frustrating challenge to computational scientists; it is indispensable for constructing a new understanding of cosmology from our present quandary. This celebratory Focus Issue in New Journal of Physics will attempt to give a glimpse of the current status of what Einstein wrought in 1905, as well as a historical perspective on how ideas about spacetime have evolved since then. Focus on Spacetime 100 Years Later Contents Gravity and the quantum A Ashtekar Black holes in astrophysics R Narayan A most useful manifestation of relativity: gravitional lenses E E Falco Spacetime in string theory G T Horowitz Gravitational wave detectors P Aufmuth and K Danzmann Hawking radiation and black hole thermodynamics D N Page The basics of gravitational wave theory E E Flanagan and S A Hughes Laboratory tests of gravity J H Gundlach Richard Price, University of Texas at Brownsville, USA Jorge Pullin, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, USA