The black hole : 25 years after ; [Lectures delivered at the Centro de Estudios Científicos de Santiago, at the 5th Summer Meeting on Quantum Mechanics of Fundamental Systems, in 1994

"This is a most important review volume providing a summary of black hole physics in the last 25 years. It contains a series of lectures presented to celebrate John Archibald Wheeler's invention of the term "black hole" a quarter of a century ago. In 11 lucid articles, a distinguished group of world experts discuss current issues in black hole physics, ranging from epistemological considerations to recent developments connecting black hole thermodynamics and string theory."--Jacket The path integral formulation of gravitational thermodynamics / J. David Brown & James W. York -- Self-dual solutions of 2+1 Einstein gravity with a negative cosmological constant / Olivier Coussaert & Marc Henneaux -- String black holes / John Ellis -- The vacuum fluctuation problem in black hole radiance / Francois Englert -- "Absurd and ridiculous": The collapse of solidity / Werner Israel -- Descent into the maelstrom: The black hole interior / Werner Israel -- Some speculations about black hole entropy in string theory / Leonard Susskind -- Action and entropy of black holes / Claudio Teitelboim -- Horizon operator approach to black hole quantization / Gerard't Hooft -- The black hole, 25 years later / John A. Wheeler -- Lectures on black hole quantum mechanics: Lectures 1 & 2 / Frank Wilczek -- Lectures on black hole quantum mechanics: Lectures 3 & 4 / Frank Wilczek This volume contains a series of lectures presented at the Centro de Estudios Cientificos de Santiago to celebrate John Archibald Wheeler's invention of the term "black hole" in the early 1970s. The articles discuss current issues in black hole physics.