It is not an exaggeration to say that one of the most exciting predictions of Einstein's theory of gravitation is that there may exist "black holes" putative objects whose gravitational fields are so strong that no physical bodies or signals can break free of their pull and escape. The proof that black holes do exist, and an analysis of their properties, would have a significance going far beyond astrophysics. Indeed, what is involved is not just the discovery of yet another even if extremely remarkable, astro physical object, but a test of the correctness of our understanding of the...

It is not an exaggeration to say that one of the most exciting predictions of Einstein's theory of gravitation is that there may exist "black holes": putative objects whose gravitational fields are so strong that no physical bodies or signals can break free of their pull and escape. The proof that black holes do exist, and an analysis of their properties, would have a significance going far beyond astrophysics. Indeed, what is involved is not just the discovery of yet another even if extremely remarkable, astro physical object, but a test of the correctness of our understanding of the...

This book is about black holes, one of the most intriguing objects of modern Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics. For many years, black holes have been considered as interesting solutions of the theory of General Relativity with a number of amusing mathematical properties. Now after the discovery of astrophysical black holes, the Einstein gravity has become an important tool for their study. This self-contained textbook combines physical, mathematical, and astrophysical aspects of black hole theory. Pedagogically presented, it contains 'standard' material on black holes as well as relatively...