This book provides a concise introduction to both the special theory of relativity and the general theory of relativity. The format is chosen to provide the basis for a single semester course which can take the students all the way from the foundations of special relativity to the core results of general relativity: the Einstein equation and the equations of motion for particles and light in curved spacetime. To facilitate access to the topics of special and general relativity for science and engineering students without prior training in relativity or geometry, the relevant geometric notions are also introduced and developed from the ground up. Students in physics, mathematics or engineering with an interest to learn Einstein’s theories of relativity should be able to use this book already in the second semester of their third year. The book could also be used as the basis of a graduate level introduction to relativity for students who did not learn relativity as part of their undergraduate training.
Table of Contents
Why relativity?
A first look at notions from geometry
The tangents of spacetime: special relativity
Relativistic dynamics
Differential geometry: the kinematics of curved spacetime
Particles in curved spacetime
The dynamics of spacetime: the Einstein equation
Massive particles in the Schwarzschild spacetime
Massless particles in the Schwarzschild spacetime
About the Author(s)
Rainer Dick, University of Saskatchewan
Rainer Dick studied physics at the Universities in Stuttgart, Karlsruhe and Hamburg, and received a PhD degree from the University of Hamburg. He worked at the University of Munich and the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton before joining the University of Saskatchewan. Rainer’s research interests include particle physics, cosmology, string theory, materials physics, and quantum optics. Rainer has published over 100 papers in journals and conference proceedings, and a textbook on Advanced Quantum Mechanics: Material and Photons.
