General Relativity: An Introduction for Physicists
Cambridge University Press
Edition: Illustrated, 2/2/2006
EAN 9780521829519, ISBN10: 0521829518
Hardcover, 592 pages, 25.1 x 17.3 x 3 cm
Language: English
General Relativity: An Introduction for Physicists provides a clear mathematical introduction to Einstein's theory of general relativity. It presents a wide range of applications of the theory, concentrating on its physical consequences. After reviewing the basic concepts, the authors present a clear and intuitive discussion of the mathematical background, including the necessary tools of tensor calculus and differential geometry. These tools are then used to develop the topic of special relativity and to discuss electromagnetism in Minkowski spacetime. Gravitation as spacetime curvature is then introduced and the field equations of general relativity derived. After applying the theory to a wide range of physical situations, the book concludes with a brief discussion of classical field theory and the derivation of general relativity from a variational principle. Written for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, this approachable textbook contains over 300 exercises to illuminate and extend the discussion in the text.
1. The spacetime of special relativity
2. Manifolds and coordinates
3. Vector calculus on manifolds
4. Tensor calculus on manifolds
5. Special relativity revisited
6. Electromagnetism
7. The equivalence principle and spacetime curvature
8. The gravitational field equations
9. The Schwarzschild geometry
10. Experimental tests of general relativity
11. Schwarzschild black holes
12. Further spherically-symmetric geometries
13. The Kerr geometry
14. The Friedmann–Robertson–Walker geometry
15. Cosmological models
16. Inflationary cosmology
17. Linearised general relativity
18. Gravitational waves
19. A variational approach to general relativity.
'... this book is a fine introduction and exposition of many of the theory's features. ... A beautiful approach is taken: the authors show that a consistent theory of electromagnetism can be derived from the simple supposition that there is a force ... I strongly recommend this book for a very wide range of readers. Advanced undergraduates will obtain a good first understanding of GR; postgraduates will find it a useful reference book, and will no doubt learn a great deal that they have not fully covered at undergraduate level. Researchers and lecturers will also find it an invaluable book, not only for recommending to students, but also for obtaining significant new insights themselves.' The Observatory