Current Status
General relativity has emerged as a highly successful model of gravitation and cosmology, which has so far passed many unambiguous observational and experimental tests. However, there are strong indications the theory is incomplete. The problem of quantum gravity and the question of the reality of spacetime singularities remain open. Observational data that is taken as evidence for dark energy and dark matter could indicate the need for new physics. Even taken as is, general relativity is rich with possibilities for further exploration. Mathematical relativists seek to understand the nature of singularities and the fundamental properties of Einstein's equations, and increasingly powerful computer simulations (such as those describing merging black holes) are run. The race for the first direct detection of gravitational waves continues, in the hope of creating opportunities to test the theory's validity for much stronger gravitational fields than has been possible to date. More than ninety years after its publication, general relativity remains a highly active area of research.
Read more about this topic: General Relativity
Famous quotes containing the words current and/or status:
“For me, Romanticism is the most recent and the most current expression of beauty.”
—Charles Baudelaire (1821–1867)
“[In early adolescence] she becomes acutely aware of herself as a being perceived by others, judged by others, though she herself is the harshest judge, quick to list her physical flaws, quick to undervalue and under-rate herself not only in terms of physical appearance but across a wide range of talents, capacities and even social status, whereas boys of the same age will cite their abilities, their talents and their social status pretty accurately.”
—Terri Apter (20th century)