An Introduction to General Relativity and Cosmology

The scope of this text; Preface to the second edition; Acknowledgements; 1. How the theory of relativity came into being (a brief historical sketch); Part I. Elements of Differential Geometry: 2. A short sketch of 2-dimensional differential geometry; 3. Tensors, tensor densities; 4. Covariant derivatives; 5. Parallel transport and geodesic lines; 6. The curvature of a manifold; flat manifolds; 7. Riemannian geometry; 8. Symmetries of Riemann spaces, invariance of tensors; 9. Methods to calculate the curvature quickly: differential forms and algebraic computer programs; 10. The spatially homogeneous Bianchi-type spacetimes; 11. The Petrov classification by the spinor method; Part II. The Theory of Gravitation: 12. The Einstein equations and the sources of a gravitational field; 13. The Maxwell and Einstein-Maxwell equations and the Kaluza-Klein theory; 14. Spherically symmetric gravitational fields of isolated objects; 15. Relativistic hydrodynamics and thermodynamics; 16. Relativistic cosmology I: general geometry; 17. Relativistic cosmology II: the Robertson-Walker geometry; 18. Relativistic cosmology III: the Lemaitre-Tolman geometry; 19. Relativistic cosmology IV: Simple generalisations of L-T and related geometries; 20. Relativistic cosmology V: the Szekeres geometries; 21. The Kerr metric; 22 Relativity enters technology: the Global Positioning System; 23. Subjects omitted from this book; 24. Comments to selected exercises and calculations; References; Index.