General Relativity for the Gifted Amateur

Tom Lancaster is Professor of Physics at Durham University. His research interests include using muons to investigate low-dimensional and molecular magnetism.Stephen Blundell is a Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford, and a Professorial Fellow of Mansfield College. His research interests include muon-spin rotation, density functional techniques, and spin liquids.

• 0: Overture I Geometry and mechanics in at spacetime 1: Special relativity 2: Vectors in at spacetime 3: Coordinates 4: Linear slot machines 5: The metric II Curvature and general relativity 6: Finding a theory of gravitation 7: Parallel lines and the covariant derivative 8: Free fall and geodesics 9: Geodesic equations and connection coecients 10: Making measurements in relativity 11: Riemann curvature and the Ricci tensor 12: The energy-momentum tensor 13: The gravitational field equations 14: The triumphs of general relativity III Cosmology 15: An introduction to cosmology 16: Robertson-Walker spaces 17: The Friedmann equations 18: Universes of the past and future 19: Causality, infinity and horizons IV Orbits, stars and black holes 20: Newtonian orbits 21: The Schwarzschild geometry 22: Motion in the Schwarzschild geometry 23: Orbits in the Schwarzschild geometry 24: Photons in the Schwarzschild geometry 25: Black holes 26: Black-hole singularities 27: Kruskal-Szekeres coordinates 28: Hawking radiation 29: Charged and rotating black holes V Geometry 30: Classical curvature 31: A reintroduction to geometry 32: Differential forms 33: Exterior and Lie derivatives 34: Geometry of the connection 35: Riemann curvature revisited 36: Cartan's method 37: Duality and the volume form 38: Forms, chains and Stokes' theorem VI Classical and quantum fields 39: Fluids as dry water 40: Lagrangian field theory 41: Inflation 42: The electromagnetic field 43: Charge conservation and the Bianchi identity 44: Gauge fields 45: Weak gravitational fields 46: Gravitational waves 47: The properties of gravitons 48: Higher-dimensional spacetime 49: From classical to quantum gravity 50: The Big-Bang singularity A: Further reading B: Conventions and notation C: Manifolds and bundles D: Embedding E: Answers to selected problems

I highly recommend this book for the well-prepared reader wishing to delve deeper into the mysteries of General Relativity.