Rotating Fields in General Relativity

The aim of this book is to introduce the reader to research work on a particular aspect of rotating fields in general relativity. The account begins with a short introduction to the relevant aspects of general relativity, written at a level accessible to a beginning graduate student in theoretical physics. There follows a detailed derivation of the Wehl-Lewis-Papapetrou form of the stationary axially symmetric metric. The Kerr and Tomimatsu-Sato forms of the rotating interior and exterior solutions of the Einstein equations are then discussed. The last three chapters of the book illustrate the applications of the theory to rotating neutral dust, rotating Einstein-Maxwell fields, and rotating charged dust. The author has drawn on his own research work to produce a timely discussion of this important area of research.