The aim of this work is to provide a proof of the nonlinear
gravitational stability of the Minkowski space-time. More precisely, the
book offers a constructive proof of global, smooth solutions to the
Einstein Vacuum Equations, which look, in the large, like the Minkowski
space-time. In particular, these solutions are free of black holes and
singularities. The work contains a detailed description of the sense in
which these solutions are close to the Minkowski space-time, in all
directions. It thus provides the mathematical framework in which we can
give a rigorous derivation of the laws of gravitation proposed by Bondi.
Moreover, it establishes other important conclusions concerning the
nonlinear character of gravitational radiation. The authors obtain their
solutions as dynamic developments of all initial data sets, which are
close, in a precise manner, to the flat initial data set corresponding
to the Minkowski space-time. They thus establish the global dynamic
stability of the latter.
Originally published in 1994.
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