General Relativity With Applications to Astrophysics
This text provides a comprehensive and timely introduction to general relativity. The foundations of the theory in Part I are thoroughly developed together with the required mathematical background from differential geometry in Part III. The six chap
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Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg GmbH
Albert Einstein (1879–1955), in his study, Berlin 1916. (ETH Archive, Zurich, Switzerland)
Norbert Straumann
General Relativity With Applications to Astrophysics
With 111 Figures
13
Professor Norbert Straumann Universität Zurich Institut für Theoretische Physik Winterthurer Strasse 190 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
Library of Congress Control Number: 2004104635
ISBN 978-3-642-06013-7 ISBN 978-3-662-11827-6 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-11827-6 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilm or in any other way, and storage in data banks. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the German Copyright Law of September 9, 1965, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg GmbH . Violations are liable to prosecution under the German Copyright Law. springeronline.com © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2004 Originally published by Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York in 2004 The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. Typesetting: Data prepared by the author using a Springer TEX macro package Final layout: Frank Herweg, Leutershausen Cover design: design & production GmbH, Heidelberg Printed on acid-free paper 55/3141/ba 5 4 3 2 1 0
Preface
Physics and mathematics students are as eager as ever to become acquainted with the foundations of general relativity and some of its major applications in astrophysics and cosmology. I hope that this textbook gives a comprehensive and timely introduction to both aspects of this fascinating field, and will turn out to be useful for undergraduate and graduate students. This book is a complete revision and extension of my previous volume ‘General Relativity and Relativistic Astrophysics’ that appeared about twenty years ago in the Springer Series ‘Texts and Monographs in Physics’; however, it cannot be regarded just as a new edition. In Part I the foundations of general relativity are thoroughly developed. Some of the more advanced topics, such as the section on the initial value problem, can be skipped in a first reading. Part II is devoted to tests of general relativity and many of its applications. Binary pulsars – our best laboratories for general relativity – are studied in considerable detail. I have included an introduction to gravitational lensing theory, to the extend that the current literature on the subject should become accessible. Much space is devoted to the study of compact objects, especially to black holes. This includes a detailed derivation of the Kerr solution, Israel’s proof of his uniqueness
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