General relativity

Product Description "Wald's book is clearly the first textbook on general relativity with a totally modern point of view; and it succeeds very well where others are only partially successful. The book includes full discussions of many problems of current interest which are not treated in any extant book, and all these matters are considered with perception and understanding."—S... Product Description "Wald's book is clearly the first textbook on general relativity with a totally modern point of view; and it succeeds very well where others are only partially successful. The book includes full discussions of many problems of current interest which are not treated in any extant book, and all these matters are considered with perception and understanding."—S. Chandrasekhar "A tour de force: lucid, straightforward, mathematically rigorous, exacting in the analysis of the theory in its physical aspect."—L. P. Hughston, Times Higher Education Supplement "Truly excellent. . . . A sophisticated text of manageable size that will probably be read by every student of relativity, astrophysics, and field theory for years to come."—James W. York, Physics Today Part I. Fundamentals -- 1. Introduction -- 1.1 Introduction -- 1.2 Space And Time In Prerelativity Physics And In Special Relativity -- 1.3 The Spacetime Metric -- 1.4 General Relativity -- 2. Manifolds And Tensor Fields -- 2.1 Manifolds -- 2.2 Vectors -- 2.3 Tensors The Metric Tensor -- 2.4 The Abstract Index Notation -- 3. Curvature -- 3.1 Derivative Operators And Parallel Transport -- 3.2 Curvature -- 3.3 Geodesics -- 3.4 Methods For Computing Curvature -- 4. Einstein's Equation -- 4.1 The Geometry Of Space In Prerelativity Physics -- General And Special Covariance -- 4.2 Special Relativity -- 4.3 General Relativity -- 4.4 Linearized Gravity: The Newtonian Limit And Gravitational Radiation -- 5. Homogeneous, Isotropic Cosmology -- 5.1 Homogeneity And Isotrophy -- 5.2 Dynamics Of A Homogeneous, Isotropic Universe -- 5.3 The Cosmological Redshift -- Horizons -- 5.4 The Evolution Of Our Universe -- 6. The Schwartzschild Solution. 6.1 Derivation Of The Schwartzschild Solution -- 6.2 Interior Solutions -- 6.3 Geodesics Of Schwartzschild: Gravitation Redshift, Perihelion Precession, Bending Of Light, And Time Delay -- 6.4 The Kruskal Extension -- Part Ii. Advanced Topics -- 7. Methods For Solving Einstein's Equation -- 7.1 Stationary, Axisymmetric Solutions -- 7.2 Spatially Homogeneous Cosmologies -- 7.3 Algebraically Special Solutions -- 7.4 Methods For Generating Solutions -- 7.5 Perturbations -- 8. Casual Structure -- 8.1 Futures And Pasts: Basic Definitions And Results -- 8.2 Causality Conditions -- 8.3 Domains Of Dependence -- Global Hyperbolicity -- 9. Singularities -- 9.1 What Is A Singularity? -- 9.2 Timelike And Null Geodesic Congruences -- 9.3 Conjugate Points -- 9.4 Existence Of Maximum Length Curves -- 9.5 Singularity Theorems -- 10. The Initial Value Formulation -- 10.1 Initial Value Formulation For Particles And Fields -- 10.2 Initial Value Formulation Of General Relativity. 11. Asymptotic Flatness -- 11.1 Conformal Infinity -- 11.2 Energy -- 12. Black Holes -- 12.1 Black Holes And The Cosmic Censor Conjecture -- 12.2 General Properties Of Black Holes -- 12.3 The Charged Kerr Black Holes -- 12.4 Energy Extraction From Black Holes -- 12.5 Black Holes And Thermodynamics -- 13. Spinors -- 13.1 Spinors In Minkowski Spacetime -- 13.2 Spinors In Curved Spacetime -- 14. Quantum Effects In Strong Gravitational Fields -- 14.1 Quantum Gravity -- 14.2 Quantum Fields In Curved Spacetime -- 14.3 Particle Creation Near Black Holes -- 14.4 Black Hold Thermodynamics -- Appendices -- A. Topological Spaces -- B. Differential Forms, Integration, And Frobenius's Theorem -- B.1 Differential Forms -- B.2 Integration -- B.3 Frobenius's Theorem -- C. Maps Of Manifolds, Lie Derivatives, And Killing Fields -- C. 1 Maps Of Manifolds -- C. 2 Lie Derivatives -- C. 3 Killing Vector Fields -- D. Conformal Transformations -- E. Lagrangian And Hamiltonian Formulations Of Einstein's Equation -- E.1 Lagrangian Formulation -- E.2 Hamiltonian Formulation -- F. Units And Dimensions. Robert M. Wald. Includes Index. Bibliography: P. 473-484.