Reinhard Hentschke, Christian Hölbling

A Short Course in General Relativity and Cosmology

• Broschiertes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

Unlike most traditional introductory textbooks on relativity and cosmology that answer questions like "Does accelerated expansion pull our bodies apart?", "Does the presence of dark matter affect the classical tests of general relativity?" in a qualitative manner, the present text is intended as a foundation, enabling students to read and understand the textbooks and many of the scientific papers on the subject. And, above all, the readers are taught and encouraged to do their own calculations, check the numbers and answer the above and other questions regarding the most exciting discoveries and theoretical developments in general relativistic cosmology, which have occurred since the early 1980s. In comparison to these intellectual benefits the text is short. In fact, its brevity without neglect of scope or mathematical accessibility of key points is rather unique. The authors connect the necessary mathematical concepts and their reward, i.e. the understanding of an importantpieceof modern physics, along the shortest path.

The unavoidable mathematical concepts and tools are presented in as straightforward manner as possible. Even though the mathematics is not very difficult, it certainly is beneficial to know some statistical thermodynamics as well as some quantum mechanics. Thus the text is suitable for the upper undergraduate curriculum.

Produktdetails

• Undergraduate Lecture Notes in Physics
• Verlag: Springer / Springer International Publishing / Springer, Berlin
• Artikelnr. des Verlages: 978-3-030-46383-0
• Seitenzahl: 308
• Erscheinungstermin: 24. Juni 2020
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 235mm x 155mm x 17mm
• Gewicht: 472g
• ISBN-13: 9783030463830
• ISBN-10: 3030463834
• Artikelnr.: 58843019

Autorenporträt

Reinhard Hentschke holds a Diplom from the University of Osnabrück (1983) and a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Maine, USA (1987). He acquired expertise relevant to the proposed book as a postdoc at Brandeis University, USA (1987-1990), working on the theory of reversibly assembling polymers, and as a staff scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (1990-1999), specializing on computer simulation of polymers. Since 1999 he is a professor of physics at the University of Wuppertal, where he had frequent polymer related collaborations with industry partners - most notably a collaboration, spanning 15 years, with the materials development department of the Continental Reifen GmbH. He is the (co)author of four textbooks: RH, Statistische Mechanik, Wiley-VCH, 2004; RH Thermodynamics, Springer, Undergraduate Lecture Notes in Physics, 2014 (1st ed.), 2022 (2nd ed.); RH, Classical Mechanics, Springer, Undergraduate Lecture Notes in Physics, 2017; RH, Christian Hölbling, A Short Course in General Relativity and Cosmology, Undergraduate Lecture Notes in Physics, 2020.

Inhaltsangabe

Overview.- Review of Concepts and Some Extensions Thereof.- Introduction to Multidimensional Calculus.- Field Equations of General Relativity.- Classical Tests of General Relativity.- Black Holes.- Basics of Modern Cosmology: Overview.- Friedmann-Robertson-Walker Cosmology.- Thermodynamics of the Universe.- Accelerated Expansion of the Universe.- Inflation.- Appendices A-F.- Index.

Rezensionen

"The book itself is well produced. ... I've often felt the need myself for a book between, on the one hand, popular and introductory-level presentations and, on the other, more advanced textbooks and technical monographs, especially one which covers topics I am less familiar with; I think that this book would serve such a need for others as well." (Phillip Helbig, The Observatory, Vol. 141 (1282), June, 2021)