Author Description

This landmark text offers a rigorous full-year graduate level course on gravitation physics, teaching students to:<br>• Grasp the laws of physics in flat spacetime<br>• Predict orders of magnitude<br>• Calculate using the principal tools of modern geometry<br>• Predict all levels of precision<br>• Understand Einstein's geometric framework for physics<br>• Explore applications, including pulsars and neutron stars, cosmology, the Schwarzschild geometry and gravitational collapse, and gravitational waves<br>• Probe experimental tests of Einstein's theory<br>• Tackle advanced topics such as superspace and quantum geometrodynamics<br> <br><b>The book offers a unique, alternating two-track pathway through the subject:</b><br>• In many chapters, material focusing on basic physical ideas is designated as<br><b>Track 1</b>. These sections together make an appropriate one-term advanced/graduate level course (mathematical prerequisites: vector analysis and simple partial-differential equations). The book is printed to make it easy for readers to identify these sections.<br>• The remaining <b>Track 2</b> material provides a wealth of advanced topics instructors can draw from to flesh out a two-term course, with Track 1 sections serving as prerequisites.