Covering all aspects of gravitation in a contemporary style, this advanced textbook is ideal for graduate students and researchers in all areas of theoretical physics. The 'Foundation' section develops the formalism in six chapters, and uses it in the next four chapters to discuss four key applications - spherical spacetimes, black holes, gravitational waves and cosmology. The six chapters in the 'Frontier' section describe cosmological perturbation theory, quantum fields in curved spacetime, and the Hamiltonian structure of general relativity, among several other advanced topics, some of which are covered in-depth for the first time in a textbook. The modular structure of the book allows different sections to be combined to suit a variety of courses. Over 200 exercises are included to test and develop the reader's understanding. There are also over 30 projects, which help readers make the transition from the book to their own original research.
- Develops the formalism and uses it to discuss four key applications - spherical spacetimes, black holes, gravitational waves and cosmology
- Describes several advanced topics, some of which are covered in-depth for the first time in a textbook
- Different sections can be easily combined to meet the needs of a variety of courses
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Reviews & endorsements
'This book is immensely impressive. It is full of insights and derivations that do not appear in other books. The serious student will appreciate the extensive coverage of advanced topics, notably of actions. One might say, the book is action-packed.' Andrew J. S. Hamilton, Professor of Astrophysics, University of Colorado, Boulder
'… well written throughout … presents its material with admirable clarity and patience. It contains many topics that are not easily found in other relativity textbooks, at least not in the detail presented here … The book is a valuable contribution to the textbook literature on general relativity and will remain up-to-date for many years to come. It contains 225 exercises (without solutions), many of them highly original, and presents thirty projects that can be used to build a bridge between the exercise level and research work at the level of a master thesis and beyond. It is certainly not possible to cover the whole material in a 1-year course, but its modular structure enables the lecturer to make the selection that is needed for his or her purpose. I plan to use and test the book myself in my next course on relativity and cosmology.' General Relativity and Gravitation
'Every topic is extremely well referenced and current … This book is likely to be an essential reference for any galaxy-formation-research student or professor. In the coming years I can see myself dipping into this treasure trove on a very regular basis.' Shaun Cole, The Observatory
'Within minutes of opening the rich, heavy, full, yet succinctly written 728 pages I realised that this is a new and personal view on general relativity, which leads beyond many excellent standard textbooks and offers a challenging training ground for students with its original exercises and study topics … [I] highly recommend it to anyone interested in general relativity and related fields because it offers a modern update … if you are a bookworm like me, you must have it, because it is a great read from start to finish.' Cern Courier
'The book is well written throughout and presents its material with admirable clarity and patience. It contains many topics that are not easily found in other relativity textbooks, at least not in the detail presented here … The book is a valuable contribution to the textbook literature on general relativity and will remain up-to-date for many years to come … I plan to use and test the book myself in my next course on relativity and cosmology.' Institut für Theoretische Physik
'… a comprehensive textbook containing both the fundamental and the frontier aspects of gravitation theory. The book is a real pleasure to read by a reader with basic knowledge in mathematics and physics.' Contemporary Physics
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Product details
- Date Published: January 2010
- format: Hardback
- isbn: 9780521882231
- length: 728 pages
- dimensions: 254 x 179 x 36 mm
- weight: 1.55kg
- contains: 34 b/w illus. 228 exercises
- availability: Available
Table of Contents
1. Special relativity
2. Scalar and electromagnetic fields in special relativity
3. Gravity and spacetime geometry: the inescapable connection
4. Metric tensor, geodesics and covariant derivative
5. Curvature of spacetime
6. Einstein's field equations and gravitational dynamics
7. Spherically symmetric geometry
8. Black holes
9. Gravitational waves
10. Relativistic cosmology
11. Differential forms and exterior calculus
12. Hamiltonian structure of general relativity
13. Evolution of cosmological perturbations
14. Quantum field theory in curved spacetime
15. Gravity in higher and lower dimensions
16. Gravity as an emergent phenomenon
Notes
Index.
Look Inside
Author
T. Padmanabhan, Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune, India
T. Padmanabhan is a Distinguished Professor and Dean of Core Academic Programmes at the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune. He is a renowned theoretical physicist and cosmologist with nearly 30 years of research and teaching experience both in India and abroad. Professor Padmanabhan has published over 200 research papers and nine books, including six graduate-level textbooks. These include the Structure Formation in the Universe and Theoretical Astrophysics, a comprehensive 3-volume course. His research work has won prizes from the Gravity Research Foundation (USA) five times, including the First Prize in 2008. In 2007 he received the Padma Shri, the medal of honour from the President of India, in recognition of his achievements.