Modern General Relativity

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

Einstein's general theory of relativity can be a notoriously difficult subject for students approaching it for the first time, with arcane mathematical concepts such as connection coefficients and tensors adorned with a forest of indices. This book is an elementary introduction to Einstein's theory and the physics of curved space-times that avoids these complications as much as possible. Its first half describes the physics of black holes, gravitational waves and the expanding Universe, without using tensors. Only in the second half are Einstein's field equations derived and used to explain the dynamical evolution of the early Universe and the creation of the first elements. Each chapter concludes with problem sets and technical mathematical details are given in the appendices. This short text is intended for undergraduate physics students who have taken courses in special relativity and advanced mechanics.

"Wald's book is clearly the first textbook on general relativity with a totally modern point of view; and it succeeds very well where others are only partially successful. The book includes full discussions of many problems of current interest which are not treated in any extant book, and all these matters are considered with perception and understanding."—S. Chandrasekhar "A tour de force: lucid, straightforward, mathematically rigorous, exacting in the analysis of the theory in its physical aspect."—L. P. Hughston, Times Higher Education Supplement "Truly excellent. . . . A sophisticated text of manageable size that will probably be read by every student of relativity, astrophysics, and field theory for years to come."—James W. York, Physics Today

This book provides a complete treatise of the canonical quantisation of general relativity and the loop quantum gravity theory. Mathematical concepts are provided, so it can be read by graduate students with a basic knowledge of quantum field theory or general relativity.

These lecture notes are intended for starting PhD students in theoretical physics who have a working knowledge of General Relativity. The four topics covered are: Surface charges as conserved quantities in theories of gravity; Classical and holographic features of three-dimensional Einstein gravity; Asymptotically flat spacetimes in four dimensions: BMS group and memory effects; The Kerr black hole: properties at extremality and quasi-normal mode ringing. Each topic starts with historical foundations and points to a few modern research directions.

This book unfolds the subject of Relativity for undergraduate students of physics. It fills a gap between introductory descriptions and texts for researchers. Assuming almost no prior knowledge, it allows the student to handle all the Relativity needed for a university course, with explanations as simple, thorough, and engaging as possible.

Carefully documenting the different formulations of general relativity, the author reveals valuable insight into the nature of the gravitational force and its interaction with matter. This book will interest graduate students and researchers in the fields of general relativity, gravitational physics and differential geometry.

The general theory of relativity, also called the Einstein's theory of gravity and the general relativity theory, is the geometric theory of gravitation. It provides the description of gravity as a geometric property of space and time. There are several astrophysical applications of the general theory of relativity including gravitational lensing, cosmology, gravitational-wave astronomy, and black holes. The theory of general relativity forms the basis for disciplines of cosmology and relativistic astrophysics. Cosmology is a branch of astronomy that studies the origin and evolution of the universe. The contemporary researches in cosmology are based on the field equations of general relativity. Under cosmology, the universe is considered on extremely large scales that are evolving over extremely long times that are comparable to the age of the universe. Some researchers have also proposed cosmological models based on space-times with dimensions, D > 4. Some of the important applications of general relativity in cosmology and astrophysics include gamma-ray bursts, neutron stars, black holes and gravitational waves. This book includes some of the vital pieces of works being conducted across the world, on various topics related to modern general relativity. Researchers and students studying this theory and its applications will be assisted by this book.