Black Holes

80 Pages·2017·18.678 MB·English

by  Jayant V. Narlikar

BLACK
[HOLES

Popular Science
BLACK
JAYANT NARLIKAR
For Vidnyan Samvardhan Mandal
NATIONAL BOOK TRUST, INDIA
ISBN 81-237-4374-2
First Edition 2005 (Saka 1926)
© Jayant Narlikar, 2003
Published by the Director, National Book Trust, India
A-5 Green Park, New Delhi-110 016
Contents
Preface vii
Editor's Note ix
1. Introducing Black Holes 1
2. Physical Properties of Black Holes 22
3. Can a Black Hole Radiate? 38
4. Astrophysical Applications of Black Holes 44
5. White Holes 58

Preface
V V henever I am invited to deliver a public lecture on any
astronomical topic, one of the questions asked after the
lecture invariably relates to black holes. Black holes are
perhaps the most esoteric objects in the universe. Some of
their physical properties are counter-intuitive, yet
mathematically they follow as consequences of the general
theory of relativity.
This book tries to present the topic of black holes in a
simplified form. It would have been possible to write the
text without any mathematics whatsoever. This would not
have been very satisfactory, especially for high school and
college students who can understand the quantitative
arguments given in this book. I have tried to incorporate
not only formal properties of black holes but also their
applications to astrophysics. I hope the book will be
appreciated by those who generally ask the above-
mentioned question after my lecture.
I wish to thank Dr Bal Phondke and Dr Pandit
Vidyasagar for their help in editing this book.
Pune JAYANT NARLIKAR