This indispensable volume contains a compendium of articles covering a vast range of topics in physics which were begun or influenced by the works of Albert Einstein: special relativity, quantum theory, statistical physics, condensed matter physics, general relativity, geometry, cosmology and unified field theory. An essay on the societal role of Einstein is included. These articles, written by some of the renowned experts, offer an insider's view of the exciting world of fundamental science.

Contents:

• Einstein and the Search for Unification (D Gross)
• Einstein and Geometry (M Atiyah)
• String Theory and Einstein’s Dream (A Sen)
• Black Hole Entropy in String Theory: A Window into the Quantum Structure of Gravity (A Dabholkar)
• The Winding Road to Quantum Gravity (A Ashtekar)
• Brownian Functionals in Physics and Computer Science (S N Majumdar)
• Bose–Einstein Condensation: Where Many Become One and So There is Plenty of Room at the Bottom (N Kumar)
• Many Electrons Strongly Avoiding Each Other: Strange Goings On (T V Ramakrishnan)
• Einstein and the Quantum (V Singh)
• Einstein’s Legacy: Relativistic Cosmology (J V Narlikar)
• Einstein’s Universe: The Challenge of Dark Energy (S Sarkar)
• Gravitational Radiation — In Celebration of Einstein’s Annus Mirabilis (B S Sathyaprakash)
• Albert Einstein: Radical Pacifist and Democrat (T Jayaraman)

“In this slender volume, about a dozen experts reflect succinctly on a variety of currently interesting topics, from black hole entropy in string theory to the challenge of dark energy. The book should interest primarily graduate students in physics and also some undergraduates … is a fine reflection of the internationalism of modern science that stretches across nations and continents, race, and religion.”

“It provides a broad, clear and precise overview of how his five famous papers sowed the seeds of revolution of 20th-century physics. For many, including the authors of this book, he was certainly a hero and a model … I certainly enjoyed the elegant approach of explaining abstract concepts and their future implications through the words of some of the renowned experts in the field.”

“… it is a useful addition to any science library since it is accessible to any scientist with a general physics background. I thoroughly recommend it.”