Massive spheres in general relativity, Proceedings of the Royal Society, A, 282, 1964, pp. 303-317

London: Harrison and Sons, 1964. 1st Edition. FIRST EDITION OFFPRINT of "famous paper in classic astrophysics" (SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System). This paper by the Anglo-Austrian physicist Hermann Bondi studies whether redshifts could be of gravitational origin and "served as a theoretical guidepost for planetary and super-planetary relative motion calculation" (ibid). In it he proves that "whatever equation of state is chosen, provided it is physically realistic (i.e., with sound speed in the material not exceeding the speed of light), the gravitational surface redshift due to the presence of a massive object like a white dwarf or neutron star cannot exceed 0.62" (Kembhavi, Quasars and Active Galactic Nuclei, 6).

For this paper, Bondi adopted the field equations of general relativity "and physically plausible equations of state... in order to calculate the maximum surface redshift... Bondi [states] that his models give the largest values of surface redshifts among spherically symmetric massive objects" (Yabushita, MNRAS, 174, 1976, p. 637; MNRAS, 177, 1976, p. 595).

Spherical in nature, Bondi's "models are such that a core is surrounded by a thin mass shell or an adiabatically stable envelope. The equation of state in the core is p = qp, where p and p are pressure and energy-density, respectively and q a constant (q = 1/3 or 1)" (ibid). I

In 1957 and in a paper we also offer, "Plane gravitational waves in general relativity", Bondi had "firmly established the physical reality of gravitational waves" (Denef, Science, Feb. 2016). This 1964 paper is one of a series of papers that Bondi and his collaborators wrote in the early 1960s as they further studied gravitational waves. Their work put "the physical properties [of gravitational waves] such as energy and momentum flux on a rigorous mathematical footing" (ibid).

Gravitational waves, or ripples in the fabric of spacetime, were first predicted by Einstein's 1916 general theory of relativity. In February 2016, the September 2015 detection of gravitational waves - waves first predicted by Einstein over a hundred years ago - was announced. CONDITION & DETAILS: Offprint, Proceedings of the Royal Society. London: Harrison and Sons. Quarto (10 x 7 inches; 250 x 175mm). Bright and clean (the toning evident in the scan is not actual; it is from the brightness of the scanner light). Very good condition in every way.