PHY413 Gravitation
S. G. Rajeev
First Class on Thursday Jan 19 2017
Class will meet Tue/Thurs at 11:05am-12:20pm in B&L 315 during Spring 2017 starting Jan. 19.
I will be using Blackboard to post Lecture Notes and Problems.
The only purpose of this website is to redirect you to Blackboard
Gravitation
This course will cover General Relativity: Einstein's theory of
Gravitation. Black holes and gravitational radiation are the most
remarkable predictions of this theory.
Requirements
Students are expected to know linear algebra (eg., as used in quantum
mechanics ) and the calculus of several variables (partial derivatives,
multidimensional integration). Knowledge of Electrodynamics, Special
Relativity and
Classical Mechanics at the level of our junior level
courses will also be assumed. Riemannian geometry and tensor calculus
will be introduced as part of the course. If you have already learned
it, you will see here a physicist's perspective. Previous Relativity or Geometry courses are not
required: I will exempt you if you know Mechanics and E&M.
Grading
There will be no examinations in the course; instead, there will be
some
homework assignments. They will posted on blackboard, roughly every other week.
Office Hours
Tuesdays 2:00-3:00 pm
Scope
The first part of the course will be accessible to undergraduates and
to
experimental/observational/computational physics graduate students. The
later parts will aim to bring the student up to the level of modern
research papers in General Relativity: in particular, the recent
advances in the understanding of gravitational waves and of black
holes.
Books
There is no required textbook. But any physicist must study the
classics:
- The Meaning of Relativity by Albert Einstein. Learn
from the master himself.
- The last five chapters of The Classical Theory of Fields
by Landau and Lifshitz. Perhaps the best introduction to the subject.
Minimalist in style,yet has all you really need to know.
- Gravitation and Cosmology: Principles and Applications of the
General Theory of Relativity by Steven Weinberg. The best modern
introduction by a pioneer in astro-particle physics.
- Parts of Gravitation by Charles W. Misner, Kip S.
Thorne, John Archibald Wheeler
Old Lecture Notes from Fall 2010(Obsolete)
For new notes see Blackboard.
Old Problem Sets from Fall 2010
Current Problem Sets will be posted on blackboard.