The Rise and Fall of the Black Hole Paradigm

‘This book is a revolution in itself. The author has fantastically written the "truth" in an articulate manner. A gem for someone who has passed high school and is ambitious about becoming a professional astrophysicist. The reader just keeps on flipping the pages in an excitement to know more’

Rishabh Naakra, founder of the astrophysics blog ‘The Secrets of the Universe’

‘This book is absolutely necessary, and it is just what the doctor ordered not just for experts and students of black holes, but also for the larger public which seems to have an insatiable interest in these astrophysical objects.

It is a critical discourse on all aspects of black holes, delivered with the highest standards of scientific critique. He not only explains clearly what black holes, attributed to Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity, are, but also explains with equal clarity several important lacunae in both their mathematical and physical aspects. [H]is alternatives to black holes, ECOs and MECOs, not only evade the conceptual problems of black hole event horizon but also provide natural explanations for cosmic explosions’

N.D. Haridass, former Professor, Institute of Mathematical Sciences Chennai, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Hyderabad, and Fellow of National Academy of Sciences, Allahabad

‘I first learned about black holes when I took a course in general relativity as a graduate student. That’s when I first saw that a black hole takes an infinite time to form. I concluded [that] black holes don’t exist. In fact, I like the term I found in the introduction to [this] book, “eternal collapsing objects” or ECO.

I’ve discussed this with many theorists who spend their time studying black holes, but they respond that the objects are indistinguishable from black holes, so even though they have not completely formed, it makes no difference. Maybe so, but then they talk about paradoxes of black holes as if the event horizon really existed.

I don’t think all that theoretical work has truly advanced physics. It creates paradoxes, but those paradoxes don’t really exist since black holes don’t exist.

[Dr Mitra] is making important points, and [this] book is certainly worthy of publication’

Richard A. Muller, Emeritus Professor of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Shared Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics in 2015.

‘Dr Mitra has written a nice book. It fills a void that existed for decades. The presentation is simple, transparent and lucid. The genuineness of the contents is vindicated by the fact that this book is based on peer-supported published research work. I am confident [that] interested readers will indeed benefit [from] perusing this book. Some more such publications would definitely be welcome from the pen of the author’

K.D. Krori, General Relativist and Cosmologist, former Professor, Cotton University, Guwahati

‘The author being a versatile astrophysicist has tried to present in this book his understanding of the subject from the viewpoint of astronomy and astrophysics and has tried to make it appropriate for a popular science book.

I hope that this book will provide a good framework to a wider class of readers motivating further studies on the subject’

Daya Shankar Kulshreshtha, former Head of the Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi

‘Impactful and truly helpful. The book is truly unique in its approach – and kudos to Dr Mitra for coming forth with such a daring work’

Pushkar Ganesh Vaidya, Head Scientist, Indian Astrobiology Research Foundation and Centre for United Nations

‘[Dr Mitra] has a nice, engaging style and a good knowledge of the literature. I am glad to see a [him] come along and able to think “outside the box”. I continue to be impressed by how much [he has] learned and how much work [he has] done. I admire [his] courageous stand in seeking the truth. [He is] a talented and courageous researcher who has worked hard to accumulate a lot of knowledge in astrophysics and general relativity’

Fred Cooperstock, former Professor, University of Victoria, Canada

‘The black hole paradigm has always been controversial as, apart from Albert Einstein, almost two dozen general relativists who have argued that true mathematical black holes should not occur even within the context of classical general relativity… Dr Mitra goes [to] great lengths to explain what these “quasi-black holes” could be.

This book … discusses several critical issues on astrophysics and general relativity in a layman’s language ... A must read for not only students of physics but also for all professional astrophysicists and general relativists’

Dr Kanika Das, Professor, Department of Mathematics, Gauhati University**