Observational and experimental data pertaining to gravity and cosmology are
changing our view of the Universe. General relativity is a fundamental key for
the understanding of these observations and its theory is undergoing a
continuing enhancement of its intersection with observational and experimental
data. These data include direct observations and experiments carried out in our
solar system, among which there are direct gravitational wave astronomy, frame
dragging and tests of gravitational theories from solar system and spacecraft
observations. This book explores John Archibald Wheeler´s seminal and enduring
contributions in relativistic astrophysics and includes: the General Theory of
Relativity and Wheeler´s influence; recent developments in the confrontation of
relativity with experiments; the theory describing gravitational radiation, and
its detection in Earth-based and space-based interferometer detectors as well
as in Earth-based bar detectors; the mathematical description of the initial
value problem in relativity and applications to modeling gravitational wave
sources via computational relativity; the phenomenon of frame dragging and its
measurement by satellite observations. All of these areas were of direct
interest to Professor John A. Wheeler and were seminally influenced by his
ideas.
