General Relativity: An Introduction for Physicists

After reviewing the basic concept of general relativity, this introduction discusses its mathematical background, including the necessary tools of tensor calculus and differential geometry. These tools are used to develop the topic of special relativity and to discuss electromagnetism in Minkowski spacetime. Gravitation as spacetime curvature is introduced and the field equations of general relativity derived. After applying the theory to a wide range of physical situations, the book concludes with a brief discussion of classical field theory and the derivation of general relativity from a variational principle.

Michael Hobson is a Reader in Astrophysics and Cosmology at the Cavendish Laboratory. He is also Director of Natural Sciences at Trinity Hall, Cambridge.

George Efstathiou is Director of the Institute of Astronomy, the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Anthony Lasenby is Professor of Astrophysics and Cosmology and Head of both the Astrophysics Group and the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory at the University of Cambridge.