General Relativity (445-2-1)

Instructors

Elena Murchikova

Meeting Info

Annenberg Hall G30: Tues, Thurs 2:00PM - 3:20PM

Overview of class

First quarter:
Review of special relativity and Newtonian gravity; Gravity as geometry of curved spacetime; Geodesics and conservation laws; Schwarzschild geometry; Tests of GR and the PPN formalism; Gravitational collapse and black holes; Rotating black holes and the Kerr geometry; Linearized gravity and gravitational waves; Cosmological models for the expanding Universe.

Second quarter:
Differential geometry, tensors, covariant derivatives; Riemann curvature and the field equation in vacuum; Energy-momentum tensor, the Einstein equation; Perturbation theory, gauge transformations; Emission of gravitational radiation; More advanced applications, as time permits, such as: relativistic stars, TOV equation and the Chandrasekhar limit, relativistic hydrodynamics; ADM formalism and numerical relativity; quantum mechanics in curved spacetime, inflationary cosmology.

Class Materials (Required)

Gravity: An Introduction to Einstein's General Relativity (2003) by James B. Hartle Publisher: Addison-Wesley ISBN: 978-0805386622

Previous Editions: Not applicable
Online: No
Price: $41-$100
Other: None