Special and general relativity :an introduction to spacetime and gravitation /

---

"Version: 20190102"--Title page verso."A Morgan & Claypool publication as part of IOP Concise Physics"--Title page verso.Includes bibliographical references.1. Why relativity? -- 1.1. The Galilei invariance of Newtonian mechanics -- 1.2. The need for special relativity -- 1.3. The need for general relativity2. A first look at notions from geometry -- 2.1. Vectors and tensors -- 2.2. Curvilinear coordinates3. The tangents of spacetime : special relativity -- 3.1. Lorentz transformations and the relativity of space and time -- 3.2. Consequences of Lorentz symmetry -- 3.3. The general Lorentz transformation4. Relativistic dynamics -- 4.1. Energy-momentum vectors and the relativistic Newton equation -- 4.2. The manifestly covariant formulation of electrodynamics -- 4.3. Action principles for relativistic particles -- 4.4. Current densities and stress-energy tensors5. Differential geometry : the kinematics of curved spacetime -- 5.1. More geometry : surfaces in R3 -- 5.2. Covariant derivatives and Christoffel symbols -- 5.3. Transformations of tensors and Christoffel symbols6. Particles in curved spacetime -- 6.1. Motion of a particle in spacetime -- 6.2. Slow particles in a weak gravitational field -- 6.3. Local inertial frames -- 6.4. Symmetric spaces and conservation laws7. The dynamics of spacetime : the Einstein equation -- 7.1. Geodesic deviation and curvature -- 7.2. The Einstein equation -- 7.3. The Schwarzschild metric : The gravitational field outside a non-rotating star -- 7.4. The interior of Schwarzschild black holes -- 7.5. Maximal extension of the Schwarzschild spacetime and wormholes8. Massive particles in the Schwarzschild spacetime -- 8.1. Massive particles in t-independent radially symmetric spacetimes -- 8.2. Radial motion in terms of the effective potential -- 8.3. The shape of the trajectory -- 8.4. Clocks in the Schwarzschild spacetime -- 8.5. Escape velocities and infall times9. Massless particles in the Schwarzschild spacetime -- 9.1. Equations of motion -- 9.2. Deflection of light in a gravitational field -- 9.3. Apparent photon speeds and radial infall.This book provides a concise introduction to both the special theory of relativity and the general theory of relativity. The format is chosen to provide the basis for a single semester course which can take the students all the way from the foundations of special relativity to the core results of general relativity: the Einstein equation and the equations of motion for particles and light in curved spacetime. To facilitate access to the topics of special and general relativity for science and engineering students without prior training in relativity or geometry, the relevant geometric notions are also introduced and developed from the ground up. Students in physics, mathematics or engineering with an interest to learn Einstein's theories of relativity should be able to use this book already in the second semester of their third year. The book could also be used as the basis of a graduate level introduction to relativity for students who did not learn relativity as part of their undergraduate training.Science and engineering undergrad, introduction for graduate students.Also available in print.Mode of access: World Wide Web.System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader, EPUB reader, or Kindle reader.Rainer Dick studied physics at the Universities in Stuttgart, Karlsruhe and Hamburg, and received a PhD degree from the University of Hamburg in 1990. He worked at the University of Munich and the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton before joining the University of Saskatchewan in 2000. Rainer's research interests span a wide range of topics from particle physics, cosmology and string theory to materials physics and quantum optics. Rainer has published over 100 papers in journals and conference proceedings, and a textbook on Advanced Quantum Mechanics: Material and Photons.Title from PDF title page (viewed on March 4, 2019).

---

Availability

No copy data

Detail Information

Series Title

-

Call Number

-

Publisher

: .,

Collation

1 online resource (various pagings) :illustrations (chiefly color).

Language

English

ISBN/ISSN

9781643273808

Classification

530.1/1

Content Type

-

Media Type

-

Carrier Type

-

Edition

-

Subject(s)

Astrophysics.
SCIENCE / Physics / Astrophysics.
General relativity (Physics)
Gravitation.
Space and time.
Special relativity (Physics)

Specific Detail Info

-

Statement of Responsibility

Rainer Dick.

Other version/related

File Attachment

Comments

---

You must be logged in to post a comment