General Relativity And Gravitational Waves

This book serves as a textbook for senior undergraduate students who are learning the subject of general relativity and gravitational waves for the first time. Both authors have been teaching the course in various forms for a few decades and have designed the book as a one stop book at basic level including derivations and exercises. A spectacular prediction of general relativity is gravitational waves. Gravitational waves were first detected by the LIGO detectors in 2015, hundred years after their prediction. Both authors are part of the LIGO Science Collaboration and were authors on the discovery paper. Therefore, a strong motivation for this book is to provide the essential concepts of general relativity theory and gravitational waves with their modern applications to students and to researchers who are new to the multi-disciplinary field of gravitational wave astronomy. One of the advanced topics covered in this book is the fundamentals of gravitational wave data analysis, filling a gap in textbooks on general relativity. The topic blends smoothly with other chapters in the book not only because of the common area of research, but it uses similar differential geometric and algebraic tools that are used in general relativity.

An internationally famous physicist and electrical engineer, the author of this text was a pioneer in the investigation of gravitational waves. Joseph Weber's General Relativity and Gravitational Waves offers a classic treatment of the subject. Appropriate for upper-level undergraduates and graduate students, this text remains ever relevant. Brief but thorough in its introduction to the foundations of general relativity, it also examines the elements of Riemannian geometry and tensor calculus applicable to this field. Approximately a quarter of the contents explores theoretical and experimental aspects of gravitational radiation. The final chapter focuses on selected topics related to general relativity, including the equations of motion, unified field theories, Friedman's solution of the cosmological problem, and the Hamiltonian formulation of general relativity. Exercises. Index.

Introduces the physics of general relativity in relation to modern topics such as gamma-ray bursts, black holes, and gravitational waves.

This book is based on a set of 18 class-tested lectures delivered to fourth-year physics undergraduates at Griffith University in Brisbane, and the book presents new discoveries by the Nobel-prize winning LIGO collaboration. The author begins with a review of special relativity and tensors and then develops the basic elements of general relativity (a beautiful theory that unifies special relativity and gravitation via geometry) with applications to the gravitational deflection of light, global positioning systems, black holes, gravitational waves, and cosmology. The book provides readers with a solid understanding of the underlying physical concepts; an ability to appreciate and in many cases derive important applications of the theory; and a solid grounding for those wishing to pursue their studies further. General Relativity: An Introduction to Black Holes, Gravitational Waves, and Cosmology also connects general relativity with broader topics. There is no doubt that general relativity is an active and exciting field of physics, and this book successfully transmits that excitement to readers.

Containing the latest, groundbreaking discoveries in the field, this text outlines the basics of Einstein’s theory of gravity with a focus on its most important astrophysical consequences, including stellar structures, black holes and the physics of gravitational waves. Blending advanced topics - usually not found in introductory textbooks - with examples, pedagogical boxes, mathematical tools and practical applications of the theory, this textbook maximises learning opportunities and is ideal for master and graduate students in Physics and Astronomy. Key features: • Provides a self-contained and consistent treatment of the subject that does not require advanced previous knowledge of the field. • Explores the subject with a new focus on gravitational waves and astrophysical relativity, unlike current introductory textbooks. • Fully up-to-date, containing the latest developments and discoveries in the field.

This book is aimed at students making the transition from a first course on general relativity to a specialized subfield. It presents a variety of topics under the general headings of gravitational waves in vacuo and in a cosmological setting, equations of motion, and black holes, all having a clear physical relevance and a strong emphasis on space-time geometry. Each chapter could be used as a basis for an early postgraduate project for those who are exploring avenues into research in general relativity and who have already accumulated the required technical knowledge. The presentation of each chapter is research monograph style, rather than text book style, in order to impress on interested students the need to present their research in a clear and concise format. Students with advanced preparation in general relativity theory might find a treasure trove here.

' This authoritative volume provides a snapshot of the state of the art in gravitational physics and related mathematical fields, as well as a review of recent achievements and prospects for future work. With contributing authors among the world leaders in their respective fields, this proceedings volume is a worthy addition to this conference series, which constitutes one of the most important international meetings in the areas general relativity and gravitation. Contents:Towards Detection of Gravitation Waves (B C Barish)Black Holes and The Information Paradox (S Hawking)Probing General Relativity on the Scales of Cosmology (P J E Peebles)Cosmic Superstrings Revisited (J Polchinski)Black Holes in Active Galactic Nuclei (M Rees)Complex Methods, Twistors, and Connection Variables (J Lewandowski)Early Universe (M Sasaki)Dark Energy and The Cosmological Constant (V Sahni)Gravitational Wave Sources: Source Science and Statistical Methods (A Buonanno)Detector Performance, Operation, and Commissioning (E Coccia)Laboratory and Observational Tests of Gravitational Theories (J H Gundlach)Quantum Field Theory on Curved Spacetime (K Fredenhagen)and other papers Readership: Researchers and academics in astrophysics, astronomy, cosmology, quantum physics, theoretical physics and mathematical physics. Keywords:Gravitation;General Relativity;Cosmology;Quantum Gravity;Numerical Relativity;Astrophysics;String TheoryKey Features:Includes the latest developments in all areas of gravitational physicsContributions by world-leading researchers in the fieldContinues the high standard of the general relativity conference proceedings seriesReviews: “… this volume provides a nice summary of a considerable portion of general relativity just after the turn of the century … It contains some thought-provoking articles as well as some useful, thoughtful reviews.” General Relativity and Gravitation '