Topology Change in General Relativity

Abstract

A review is given of recent work on topology changing solutions to the first order form of general relativity. These solutions have metrics which are smooth everywhere, invertible almost everywhere, and have bounded curvature. The importance of considering degenerate metrics is discussed, and the possibility that quantum effects can suppress topology change is briefly examined.

14 pages. To appear in the proceedings of the Sixth Marcel Grossman Meeting held in Kyoto, Japan, June 24-29, 1991