Complete list of all "Spotlights on relativity"

Black holes, cosmology, gravitational waves - our "Spotlights on Relativity" section invites you to take a look at some of the many facets of relativity. The following is a complete list of all our current spotlight texts. All but a few of these texts are completely independent of each other, so you can browse to your heart's content - it would help, however, if you already had some previous ideas about relativity, on the level of our introduction Elementary Einstein.

	Special relativity
	General relativity
	Gravitational waves
	Black holes & Co.
	Cosmology
	Relativity and the quantum

	The definition of "now" Why it is necessary to define simultaneity, and how best to go about defining it.
	The dialectic of relativity How relativity can reconcile statements that, at first glance, appear to be contradictory
	Einstein's Nobel heritage (Cf. General relativity) An overview of Nobel prizes connected with relativistic physics
	From E=mc² to the atomic bomb The subtle connections between Einstein's formula, nuclear fission and nuclear fusion
	Is the whole the sum of its parts? Why Einstein's famous formula tells us that the whole, as far as mass is concerned, is often less than the sum of its parts
	Time dilation on the road How you can picture the relativity of simultaneity and time dilation, using a simple geometric analogy
	The case of the travelling twins Why the so-called "twin paradox" isn't really a paradox
	Twins on the road How one can picture the situation of the travelling twin, using a simple geometric analogy
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	The elevator, the rocket, and gravity: the equivalence principle Information about the principle that Einstein took as a starting point for developing his general theory of relativity
	Gravity: From weightlessness to curvature So what is gravity in Einstein's theory? The answer: in part, an illusion; in part, an aspect of geometry.
	Spacetime singularities Information about the most disturbing feature of Einstein's theory - ragged edges of spacetime known as singularities.
	Of singularities and breadmaking About some characteristic properties of spacetime near singularities - and the violent deformations they cause for any object unlucky enough to approach a singularity
	...that all coordinate systems are created equal Why, in general relativity, all observers are on an equal footing - and why, nevertheless, you can say that the earth orbits the sun, but not the other way around
	Mass and more An account of which physical properties act as sources of gravity - includes consequences for collapsing stars and for cosmology
	The gravity of gravity An important property of gravity in Einstein's theory is that it can create more gravity. The result is "non-linearity" - the gravitational influence of two bodies isn't just the sum of their separate influences!
	Gravitational deflection of light On one of the fundamental consequences of general relativity: the deflection of light by gravity.
	The equivalence principle and the deflection of light The connection between one of the fundamental principles of general relativity and the gravitational deflection of light
	A brief history of gravitational lensing Historical sketch of the derivation of general relativity's prediction of gravitational lenses and subsequent astronomical observations
	Gravitational redshift and White Dwarf stars One of the fundamental effects predicted by general relativity, and some of its astronomical applications
	The realm of relativistic hydrodynamics    Modeling relativistic fluids and the phenomena associated with them - from supernovae and jets to merging neutron stars
	Einstein's Noble Heritage (also in Special relativity) Overview of the Nobel prizes connected with relativity
	Einstein and soap bubbles The surprising mathematical connection between space-time geometry and soap bubbles
	The many ways of building an empty, unchanging universe More information on one particular answer to the question of how much variety is permitted in general relativity - how many ways are there of constructing a universe that is completely empty of all matter?
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	The wave nature of simple gravitational waves A closer look at the way that simple gravitational waves propagate through space with time
	Chirping neutron stars For some gravitational wave signals, one can go beyond graphs and animations - they can be made audible
	Listening posts around the globe Overview of the gravitational wave detectors currently operational, or under construction
	Einstein@Home - gravitational waves for everybody Informations about how you personally can help with the search for gravitational wave - by donating processing time on your private computer
	Catching the wave with light Some information on how interferometric detectors such as LIGO or GEO600 work
	Small vibrations Some information on how the vintage models among gravitational wave detectors work - resonant detectors
	LISA - Hunting waves in space Information about the most ambitious gravitational wave project yet - a detector in space
	Of gravitational waves and spherical chickens (also in Cosmology)    Information about a class of simple model universes, each an expanding cosmos filled with gravitational waves
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	Descent into a black hole The story of an expedition coming closer and closer to a black hole - too close?
	The dark heart of the Milky Way Information about the closest supermassive black hole - the central object of our own galaxy
	Active black holes: Ultra-hot cosmic beacons What astronomers can see wherever black holes start to light up their cosmic neighbourhood
	Luminous disks: How black holes light up their surroundings How the fact that black holes are very efficient in attracting matter leads to some of the most spectacular luminous phenomena in the universe
	How many different kinds of black hole are there? Once they have settled down, there are actually only very few different kinds of black hole - find out which, and how black holes shed other distinguishing marks.
	Changing places How, in one sense, space and time switch their roles inside a black hole - and how this leads to a black hole's most characteristic property, namely that nothing can get out
	Particle accelerators as black hole factories?(also under Relativity and the quantum) The intriguing possibility that the next generation of particle accelerators might produce - and allow the detection of - miniature black holes
	What figure-skaters, planets, and neutron stars have in common On the conservation of angular momentum, and its consequences for neutron stars, black holes, and the matter disks that surround them
	Heat that meets the eye (also under Cosmology) On the connection between temperature and the emission of electromagnetic radiation, including the consequences for stars, matter disks around black holes, and cosmology
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	The shape of space The different space geometries allowed by the big bang models - do we live on a hypersphere?
	Cosmic sound The relation between the curvature of space and the properties of the cosmic background radiation
	A tale of two big bangs In cosmology, "big bang" has two different meanings - and if you want to understand what's going on, you should be aware of that difference.
	The mathematical universe Why cosmology is not only a matter for astronomers and physicists, but also for mathematicians
	Searching for the quantum beginning of the universe (Compare Relativity and the quantum) About attempts to understand the beginning of our universe using different approaches to quantum gravity
	Avoiding the big bang (Compare Relativity and the quantum) The collapsing and then re-expanding quantum universe that loop quantum gravity offers as a replacement of the standard big bang models
	Taming infinity with loops (also in Relativity and the quantum) How loop quantum gravity could replace the absurd state of infinite density, the big bang with which, according to Einstein's relativity, the universe began.
	Big Bang Nucleosynthesis How the first nuclei of helium, lithium and other light elements were cooked up shortly after the big bang
	Equilibrium and Change The physics behind Big Bang Nucleosynthesis, the period shortly after the big bang that saw the first production of light elements such as helium and lithium
	Elements of the past How to reconstruct the abundances of light elements shortly after the big bang, and thus test some important predictions of the big bang models against observation
	Heat that meets the eye (also under Black holes & Co.) On the connection between temperature and the emission of electromagnetic radiation, including the consequences for stars, matter disks around black holes, and cosmology
	Of gravitational waves and spherical chickens (also in Gravitational waves)    Information about a class of simple model universes, each an expanding cosmos filled with gravitational waves
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	Extra dimensions - and how to hide them Why our universe could possess dimensions beyond length, width and depth - and why those dimensions need not be noticeable in everyday life.
	The embedded universe Is our three-dimensional world embedded in a higher-dimensional space?
	The hunt for extra dimensions Ways of detecting extra dimensions - and why the fact that our earth orbits the sun is a relevant data point
	Simplicity in higher dimensions Why matters that seem rather complicated might be much more simple in higher dimensions
	Particle accelerators as black hole factories?(also under Black holes & Co.) The intriguing possibility that the next generation of particle accelerators might produce - and allow the detection of - miniature black holes
	The fabric of space: spin networks The quantum structure of space according to loop quantum gravity
	Searching for the quantum beginning of the universe (Compare Cosmology) On attempts to understand the beginning of our universe using different approaches to quantum gravity
	Avoiding the big bang (also in Cosmology) The collapsing and then re-expanding quantum universe that loop quantum gravity offers as a replacement of the standard big bang models
	Taming infinity with loops (also in Cosmology) How loop quantum gravity could replace the absurd state of infinite density, the big bang with which, according to Einstein's relativity, the universe began.
	Geometry from order: causal sets An overview of the causal set approach to a theory of quantum gravity
	Actors on a changing stage : quantum gravity and background independence The principle of background independence - space and time are no fixed structure, but take part in the dynamical evolution of the world - and its consequences for the problem of quantum gravity
	The sum over all possibilities About the path integral approach to quantum theory
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