General Relativity
A Concise Introduction
Price: 995.00 INR
ISBN:
9780198822165
Publication date:
09/04/2019
Paperback
160 pages
246.0x171.0mm
Price: 995.00 INR
ISBN:
9780198822165
Publication date:
09/04/2019
Paperback
160 pages
246.0x171.0mm
Steven Carlip
- Concise introduction to relativity
- "Physics first" pedagogy
- Offers students glimpses of the vast landscape of science connected to general relativity
- Incorporates latest research in gravitational theory
- Final chapter on open topics in the field for further study
- Interspersed brief discussions of "advanced" topics serve as teasers to encourage readers to think more deeply and look further
Rights: OUP UK (Indian Territory)
Steven Carlip
Description
Einstein's general theory of relativity — currently our best theory of gravity — is important not only to specialists, but to a much wider group of physicists. This short textbook on general relativity and gravitation offers students glimpses of the vast landscape of science connected to general relativity. It incorporates some of the latest research in the field. The book is aimed at readers with a broad range of interests in physics, from cosmology, to gravitational radiation, to high energy physics, to condensed matter theory. The pedagogical approach is "physics first": readers move very quickly to the calculation of observational predictions, and only return to the mathematical foundations after the physics is established. In addition to the "standard" topics covered by most introductory textbooks, it contains short introductions to more advanced topics: for instance, why field equations are second order, how to treat gravitational energy, and what is required for a Hamiltonian formulation of general relativity. A concluding chapter discusses directions for further study, from mathematical relativity, to experimental tests, to quantum gravity.
This is an introductory text, but it has also been written as a jumping-off point for readers who plan to study more specialized topics.
About the Author
Steven Carlip received an undergraduate degree in physics from Harvard in 1975. After seven years as a printer, editor, factory worker, and activist, he returned to graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin, where he earned his Ph.D. in 1987. Following a stint as a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, he joined the faculty of the University of California at Davis, where he has remained since. His main research focus is quantum gravity, but he has also worked on classical general relativity, quantum field theory, and the interface between physics and topology.
Steven Carlip
Table of contents
1: Gravity as geometry
2: Geodesics
3: Geodesics in the Solar System
4: Manifolds and tensors
5: Derivatives and curvature
6: The Einstein field equations
7: The stress-energy tensor
8: The weak field approximation
9: Gravitational waves
10: Black holes
11: Cosmology
12: Next steps
Appendix A: Mathematical details
Steven Carlip
Steven Carlip
Review
"Steven Carlip has produced a modern, concise, and pedagogical introduction to general relativity. This is the way the theory should be presented in our time. From students to experienced researchers, it is essential reading for everyone interested in this fascinating field." - Claus Kiefer, University of Cologne
Description
Einstein's general theory of relativity — currently our best theory of gravity — is important not only to specialists, but to a much wider group of physicists. This short textbook on general relativity and gravitation offers students glimpses of the vast landscape of science connected to general relativity. It incorporates some of the latest research in the field. The book is aimed at readers with a broad range of interests in physics, from cosmology, to gravitational radiation, to high energy physics, to condensed matter theory. The pedagogical approach is "physics first": readers move very quickly to the calculation of observational predictions, and only return to the mathematical foundations after the physics is established. In addition to the "standard" topics covered by most introductory textbooks, it contains short introductions to more advanced topics: for instance, why field equations are second order, how to treat gravitational energy, and what is required for a Hamiltonian formulation of general relativity. A concluding chapter discusses directions for further study, from mathematical relativity, to experimental tests, to quantum gravity.
This is an introductory text, but it has also been written as a jumping-off point for readers who plan to study more specialized topics.
About the Author
Steven Carlip received an undergraduate degree in physics from Harvard in 1975. After seven years as a printer, editor, factory worker, and activist, he returned to graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin, where he earned his Ph.D. in 1987. Following a stint as a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, he joined the faculty of the University of California at Davis, where he has remained since. His main research focus is quantum gravity, but he has also worked on classical general relativity, quantum field theory, and the interface between physics and topology.
Read MoreReviews
"Steven Carlip has produced a modern, concise, and pedagogical introduction to general relativity. This is the way the theory should be presented in our time. From students to experienced researchers, it is essential reading for everyone interested in this fascinating field." - Claus Kiefer, University of Cologne
Read MoreTable of contents
1: Gravity as geometry
2: Geodesics
3: Geodesics in the Solar System
4: Manifolds and tensors
5: Derivatives and curvature
6: The Einstein field equations
7: The stress-energy tensor
8: The weak field approximation
9: Gravitational waves
10: Black holes
11: Cosmology
12: Next steps
Appendix A: Mathematical details