Wheeler, John A. Geometrodynamics. Academic Press, Italian Physical Society, Topics in Modern Physics 1, 1962. xxiii,334pp. Original cloth. Near-fine condition. $750
Contains: Wheeler, “Neutrinos, Gravitation and Geometry”, pp 1-129; “Geons”, pp 131-184 (Physical Review, vol 97, pp 511-536; “Thermal Geons”, (reprinted from Review of Modern Physics, 29, pp 480-495, 1957; “Classical Physics as Geometry”, with Charles Miser, from Annals of Physics, vol 2, 1957, pp 233-331.
“Classical gravitation, electromagnetism, charge, and mass are described in a preceding article in terms of curved empty space and nothing more. In advance of the detailed quantization of this pure Einstein-Maxwell geometrodynamics, an attempt is made here (1) to bring to light some of the most important properties to be expected for quantized geometrodynamics and (2) to assess whether this theory, without addition of any inventive elements, can contribute anything to the understanding of the elementary particle problem.”--Wheeler, John A. On the nature of quantum geometrodynamics” in Annals of Physics, volume 2, Issue 6, December 1957, Pages 604-614
“In theoretical physics, geometrodynamics is an attempt to describe spacetime and associated phenomena completely in terms of geometry. Technically, its goal is to unify the fundamental forces and reformulate general relativity as a configuration space of three-metrics, modulo three-dimensional diffeomorphisms. It was enthusiastically promoted by John Wheeler in the 1960s, and work on it continues in the 21st century...The term geometrodynamics is as a synonym for general relativity “--Wikipedia
“Wheeler wanted to reduce physics to geometry in an even more fundamental way than the ADM reformulation of general relativity with a dynamic geometry whose curvature changes with time. It attempts to realize three concepts:
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mass without mass
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charge without charge
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field without field.
He wanted to lay the foundation for quantum gravity and unify gravitation with electromagnetism (the strong and weak interactions were not yet sufficiently well understood in 1960 to be included).
Wheeler introduced the notion of geons, gravitational wave packets confined to a compact region of spacetime and held together by the gravitational attraction of the (gravitational) field energy of the wave itself. Wheeler was intrigued by the possibility that geons could affect test particles much like a massive object, hence mass without mass.” Encyclopedia Britannica
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