General Relativity : An Introduction for Physicists

by Hobson, Michael; Efstathiou, George; Lasenby, Anthony

• ISBN13: 9780521536394
• ISBN10: 0521536391
• eBook ISBN(s): 9780511137952
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-11-30
• Publisher: Cambridge Univ Pr

Summary

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.

Table of Contents

The spacetime of special relativity

Manifolds and coordinates

Vector calculus on manifolds

Tensor calculus on manifolds

Special relativity revisited

Electromagnetism

The equivalence principle and spacetime curvature

The gravitational field equations

The Schwarzschild geometry

Experimental tests of general relativity

Schwarzschild black holes

Further spherically-symmetric geometries

The Kerr geometry

The Friedmann-Robertson-Walker geometry

Cosmological models

Inflationary cosmology

Linearised general relativity

Gravitational waves

A variational approach to general relativity

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