Lectures On General Relativity And Cosmology

"This book is a rigorous text for students in physics and mathematics requiring an introduction to the implications and interpretation of general relativity in areas of cosmology. Readers of this text will be well prepared to follow the theoretical developments in the field and undertake research projects as part of an MSc or PhD programme. This ebook contains interactive Q & A technology, allowing the reader to interact with the text and reveal answers to selected exercises posed by the author within the book. This feature may not function in all formats and on reading devices."--Prové de l'editor.

Robert Geroch's lecture notes on general relativity are unique in three main respects. First, the physics of general relativity and the mathematics, which describes it, are masterfully intertwined in such a way that both reinforce each other to facilitate the understanding of the most abstract and subtle issues. Second, the physical phenomena are first properly explained in terms of spacetime and then it is shown how they can be “decomposed” into familiar quantities, expressed in terms of space and time, which are measured by an observer. Third, Geroch's successful pedagogical approach to teaching theoretical physics through visualization of even the most abstract concepts is fully applied in his lectures on general relativity by the use of around a hundred figures. Although the book contains lecture notes written in 1972, it is (and will remain) an excellent introduction to general relativity, which covers its physical foundations, its mathematical formalism, the classical tests of its predictions, its application to cosmology, a number of specific and important issues (such as the initial value formulation of general relativity, signal propagation, time orientation, causality violation, singularity theorems, conformal transformations, and asymptotic structure of spacetime), and the early approaches to quantization of the gravitational field. Geroch's Differential Geometry: 1972 Lecture Notes can serve as a very helpful companion to this book.

The supermassive black hole in the center of our Milky Way is the nearest such object and relatively easy to observe and study. Not surprisingly therefore, it is the best studied supermassive black hole. Many astrophysical and even general relativistic effects can be investigated in great detail. The Galactic Black Hole: Lectures on General Relativity and Astrophysics provides a systematic introduction to the physics/astrophysics and mathematics of black holes at a level suitable for graduate students, postdocs, and researchers in physics, astrophysics, astronomy, and applied mathematics. The focus is mainly on the supermassive black hole in the center of our Milky Way but the results can be easily generalized taking it as an example. Leading international experts provide first-hand accounts of the observational and theoretical aspects of this black hole. Topics range from the properties of the Schwarzschild metric and the collapse of a black hole, to quantum gravity, and from the structure of the Galaxy to accretion of matter and the emission properties of the Galactic Center black hole.

This book collects lectures on the general theory of relativity given by Dr. Øyvind Grøn at the University of Oslo, Norway. This accessible text allows students to follow the deductions all the way throughout the book.

Special Relativity, Electrodynamics, and General Relativity: From Newton to Einstein is intended to teach students of physics, astrophysics, astronomy, and cosmology how to think about special and general relativity in a fundamental but accessible way. Designed to render any reader a "master of relativity, all material on the subject is comprehensible and derivable from first principles. The book emphasizes problem solving, contains abundant problem sets, and is conveniently organized to meet the needs of both student and instructor. Fully revised and expanded second edition with improved figures Enlarged discussion of dynamics and the relativistic version of Newton’s second law Resolves the twin paradox from the principles of special and general relativity Includes new chapters which derive magnetism from relativity and electrostatics Derives Maxwell’s equations from Gauss’ law and the principles of special relativity Includes new chapters on differential geometry, space-time curvature, and the field equations of general relativity Introduces black holes and gravitational waves as illustrations of the principles of general relativity and relates them to the 2015 and 2017 observational discoveries of LIGO