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A very attractive feature of the theory of general relativity is
that it is a
perfectexampleofa"falsi?able"theory:notunableparameterispresentinthe
theory and therefore even a single experiment incompatible with a
prediction of the theory would immediately lead to its inevitable
rejection, at least in the physical regime of application of the
aforementioned experiment. This fact provides additional scienti?c
value to one of the boldest and most fascinating achievements of
the human intellect ever, and motivates a wealth of e?orts in
designing and implementing tests aimed at the falsi?cation of the
theory. The ?rst historical test on the theory has been the
de?ection of light gr- ing the solar surface (Eddington 1919): the
compatibility of the theory with this ?rst experiment together with
its ability to explain the magnitude of the perihelion advance of
Mercury contributed strongly to boost acceptance and
worldwideknowledge.However,technologicallimitations
preventedphysicists from setting up more constraining tests for
several decades after the formu- tion of the theory. In fact, a
relevant problem with experimental general r- ativity is that the
predicted deviations from the Newtonian theory of gravity
areverysmallwhentheexperimentsarecarriedoutinterrestriallaboratories.
Provides a comprehensive summary on the physical models and current
theory of black hole accretion, growth and mergers, in both the
supermassive and stellar-mass cases. This title reviews in-depth
research on accretion on all scales, from galactic binaries to
intermediate mass and supermassive black holes. Possible future
directions of accretion are also discussed. The following main
themes are covered: a historical perspective; physical models of
accretion onto black holes of all masses; black hole fundamental
parameters; and accretion, jets and outflows. An overview and
outlook on the topic is also presented. This volume summarizes the
status of the study of astrophysical black hole research and is
aimed at astrophysicists and graduate students working in this
field. Originally published in Space Science Reviews, Vol 183/1-4,
2014.
A very attractive feature of the theory of general relativity is
that it is a
perfectexampleofa"falsi?able"theory:notunableparameterispresentinthe
theory and therefore even a single experiment incompatible with a
prediction of the theory would immediately lead to its inevitable
rejection, at least in the physical regime of application of the
aforementioned experiment. This fact provides additional scienti?c
value to one of the boldest and most fascinating achievements of
the human intellect ever, and motivates a wealth of e?orts in
designing and implementing tests aimed at the falsi?cation of the
theory. The ?rst historical test on the theory has been the
de?ection of light gr- ing the solar surface (Eddington 1919): the
compatibility of the theory with this ?rst experiment together with
its ability to explain the magnitude of the perihelion advance of
Mercury contributed strongly to boost acceptance and
worldwideknowledge.However,technologicallimitations
preventedphysicists from setting up more constraining tests for
several decades after the formu- tion of the theory. In fact, a
relevant problem with experimental general r- ativity is that the
predicted deviations from the Newtonian theory of gravity
areverysmallwhentheexperimentsarecarriedoutinterrestriallaboratories.
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