Gravitation and Relativity

PrefaceChapter 1. Special Relativity and Accelerations 1.1 Special Relativity in Brief 1.2 Special Relativity and Accelerations 1.3 Acceleration and Gravity 1.4 Measurements of the Gravitational Frequency Shift 1.5 The Gravitational Deflection of Light 1.6 An Apparent Paradox ReferencesChapter 2. The Eötvös-Dicke Experiments 2.1 Gravitational and Inertial Mass 2.2 The Eötvös-Dicke Experiments 2.3 Implications of the Null Result of Eötvös-Dicke Experiments ReferencesChapter 3. Martian Electrodynamics 3.1 Fields 3.2 Forces 3.3 The Lagrangian Formalism: For Experts ReferencesChapter 4. Relativistic Gravitational Fields 4.1 The Gravitational Poisson Equation 4.2 The Properties of the Source of Gravitational Fields 4.3 Possible Forms of Relativistic Gravitational Fields 4.4 Non-Linearity of the Field Equations ReferencesChapter 5. Relativistic Gravitational Forces 5.1 The Velocity of Light 5.2 Radar Ranging in the Solar System 5.3 Further Remarks on the Variable Velocity of Light 5.4 The Force Laws and Equations of Motion 5.5 The Effects of Local Forces 5.6 Gravitational Deflection and Gravitational Redshift ReferencesChapter 6. The Distortion of Reference Frames 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Atoms in Gravitational Fields: The Change of Scale 6.3 The Weight of an Atom 6.4 Covariant Equations of Motion 6.5 The Lagrangian Formalism: Again for Experts ReferencesChapter 7. The Precession of the Perihelion of Mercury 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Perihelion Advance in Newtonian Mechanics 7.3 The Relativistic Theory and the Need for Nonlinear Terms 7.4 Strong Equivalence and the Nonlinear Terms 7.5 Calculation of the Advance of Perihelion 7.6 The Precession of the Perihelion of Mercury 7.7 The Oblateness of the Sun ReferencesChapter 8. Gravitational Waves 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Transverse Nature of the Waves 8.3 Physical Effects of Gravitational Waves 8.4 Polarization Properties of Gravitational Waves 8.5 Detection of Gravitational Waves 8.6 Generation of Gravitational Waves 8.7 Attempts to Detect Gravitational Waves ReferencesChapter 9. Gravitation and the Geometry of Spacetime 9.1 Introduction 9.2 The Metric Tensor and Equations of Motion in Free Fall 9.3 Concerning the Field Equations 9.4 The Metric Tensor in some Simple Situations 9.5 An Example of an Inertial Field 9.6 The External Spherically Symmetric Gravitational Field 9.7 The Gravitational Redshift 9.8 Deflection of Light by the Sun 9.9 Radar Echo Delay 9.10 The Precession of Planetary Perihelia ReferencesChapter 10. Black Holes 10.1 Strong Gravitational Fields 10.2 The Propagation of Light in Strong Fields 10.3 Particle Motion in the Field of a Black Hole 10.4 The Search for Black Holes 10.5 The Universe ReferencesIndex