Modern Introduction to General Relativity

This textbook builds up General Relativity in a modern way that shows the marvellous unity in physics. Einstein's gravity can be understood as the theory of matter interacting with a massless spin-2 particle (the graviton), just as electromagnetism is the theory of charges interacting with a massless spin-1 particle (the photon). Starting with scalar gravity and electromagnetism, General Relativity is developed step by step, highlighting all the key ideas and equations. The text develops many applications of enduring interest, including solar-system effects and cosmological expansion, as well as important cutting-edge topics such as black hole imaging and gravitational wave detection. In-chapter exercises and end-chapter problems allow readers to test their understanding, with selected solutions available to instructors online. The textbook provides essential material for the beginning – and experienced – physicist or astronomer interested in modern developments in gravitation, astrophysics and cosmology, and their connections to particle physics and fundamental physics.