This volume covers topics ranging from the early universe, cosmology, inflation, quantum gravity, exact solutions and computer-aided computations to space and terrestrial gravity experiments, with special emphasis on recent research.

How do scientists approach science? Scientists, sociologists and philosophers were asked to write on this intriguing problem and to display their results at the International Congress `Einstein Meets Magritte'. The outcome of their effort can be found in this rather unique book, presenting all kinds of different views on science. Quantum mechanics is a discipline which deserves and receives special attention in this book, mainly because it is fascinating and, hence, appeals to the general public. This book not only contains articles on the introductory level, it also provides new insights and bold, even provocative proposals. That way, the reader gets acquainted with `science in the making', sitting in the front row. The contributions have been written for a broad interdisciplinary audience of scholars and students.

A new generation of observatories, now being completed worldwide, will give astronomers not just a new window on the cosmos but a whole new sense with which to explore and experience the heavens above us. Instead of collecting light waves or radio waves, these novel instruments will allow astronomers to at last place their hands upon the fabric of space-time and feel the very rhythms of the universe. These vibrations in space-time-or gravity waves-are the last prediction of Einstein's general theory of relativity yet to be observed directly. They are his unfinished symphony, waiting nearly a century to be heard. When they finally reveal themselves to astronomers, we will for the first time be able to hear the cymbal crashes from exploding stars, tune in to the periodic drumbeats from swiftly rotating pulsars, listen to the extended chirps from the merger of two black holes, and eavesdrop on the remnant echoes from the mighty jolt of the Big Bang itself. When Einstein introduced general relativity in 1915, it was hailed as a momentous conceptual achievement. Einstein attained celebrity status. But, once scientists verified what they could of the theory, given the scant experiments available at the time, general relativity became "largely a theoretical curiosity," writes Marcia Bartusiak. Now, after decades of technological advancement, general relativity is being tested with unprecedented accuracy. It even affects our everyday lives. Satellites used by both travelers and soldiers to peg their positions require constant corrections of Einsteinian precision. Meanwhile, the first gravity-wave "telescopes"--Including the LIGO facility-are about to come alive.

These proceedings contain lecture notes on computer algebra, cosmological models, quantum cosmology, and black hole physics. Several research articles which cover different aspects of classical cosmology, exact solutions to Einstein's equations, and quantum field theory are also included.

This text introduces needed theoretical instruments and offers an up-to-date discussion on fundamental physics as well as the experimental tools used and developed for the construction and exploitation of gravitational wave antennae (resonant bars, ground-based and space interferometric detectors). In addition, problems in the fields of optics, signal processing, control and feedback in active mechanical filtering are deeply analyzed, with reference to solutions adopted in the main detectors.

In this volume, current topics from classical large scale models to quantum gravity effects in the mathematical formulation of physically motivated cosmological theories are discussed. There are contributions dealing with topics such as the singularity theorem, the cosmic no-hair theorem and other results related to the big bang and the inflationary cosmological models. Also discussed are non-standard themes like field equations of order higher than 2, space-times of dimension different from 4, relating also to current generalizations of string theory, and some issues in quantum cosmology.

The construction of large interferometers for gravitational wave detection is now in progress in Europe and in the United States. To stimulate theoretical and experimental work a conference was organised in Cascina (Italy), where the Virgo interferometer is being built. Review talks discussed the expected signals, covering general relativity and astrophysical aspects (binary coalescence, supernovae, neutron stars, cosmological background). Experimental talks gave the current status of the running experiments (resonant bars, prototype interferometers, satellite tracking) and of the planned ones (large interferometers, ultra cryogenic resonating bars and spheres, space missions).

During the first decades after Einstein had developed his Theory of General Relativity, the main effort was to understand the theory and verify it experimentically. Meanwhile Genral Relativity is one of the experimentally best confirmed theories and has become a powerful tool for the investigation of cosmic processes where strong gravitational fields are involved. This book contains 16 contributions from well-known experts giving a broad overview for non-specialists who want to learn how to purely academic issues like gravitational wave detectors are now put into reality.

Containing contributions from leading researchers in this field, this book provides a complete overview of this field from the frontiers of theoretical physics research for graduate students and researchers. It introduces the most current approaches to this problem, and reviews their main achievements.

This book introduces needed theoretical instruments and offers an up-to-date discussion on fundamental physics as well as the experimental tools used and developed for the construction and exploitation of gravitational wave antennae (resonant bars, ground-based and space interferometric detectors). In addition, problems in the fields of optics, signal processing, control and feedback in active mechanical filtering are deeply analyzed, with reference to recent solutions adopted in the main detectors.