Lecture Notes on the General Theory of Relativity: From Newton’s Attractive Gravity to the Repulsive Gravity of Vacuum Energy: 772 (Lecture Notes in Physics, 772) - Hardcover

Grøn, Øyvind

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0387881336 ISBN 13: 9780387881331

Publisher: Springer-Verlag New York Inc., 2009

Synopsis

These notes are a transcript of lectures delivered by Øyvind Grøn during the spring of 1997 at the University of Oslo. The present version of this document is an extended and corrected version of a set of Lecture Notes which were typesetted by S. Bard, Andreas O. Jaunsen, A Frode Hansen and Ragnvald J. Irgens using LT X2 . Svend E. Hjelmeland has made E many useful suggestions which have improved the text. I would also like to thank Jon Magne Leinaas and Sigbjørn Hervik for contributing with problems, and Gorm Krogh Johnsen for help with nishing the manuscript. I also want to thank prof. Finn Ravndal for inspiring lectures on general relativity. While we hope that these typeset notes are of bene t particularly to students of general relativity and look forward to their comments, we welcome all interested readers and accept all feedback with thanks. All comment may be sent to the author by e-mail.

About this title

From the Back Cover

This book has resulted from a course in the general theory of relativity at the University of Oslo where the author has lectured for more than twenty years. Although the text is designed for master students, it is rather self-contained. Since mathematics courses on differential geometry and tensor calculus usually employ a rather abstract notation different from the component notation used in physical applications, the book introduces not only an introduction to the physical principles of the theory and physical applications of the theory, but also introduces the mathematics which is needed, in particular the calculus of differential forms. Detailed calculations are given of the bending of light, the perihelion precession of Mercury and the predictions for the Hafele-Keating experiment. The Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff equation is deduced and solved for an incompressible fluid to give the internal Schwarzschild solution. Rotating black holes are discussed. The Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universe models are deduced. Also the reader will become familiar with the Universe model which is now considered as the standard model of the universe; a flat model filled with vacuum energy and cold matter. The inflationary era at the first moment of the history of our universe is also discussed.

Edition details

• Publisher: Springer-Verlag New York Inc.
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0387881336
• ISBN 13: 9780387881331
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 264