Lecture Notes

• GR Lecture Notes Website

Exercises and Solutions

• Assignments 01
• Assignments 02
• Assignments 03
• Assignments 04 (Supplement to 04)
• Assignments 05
• Assignments 06
• Assignments 07: Tensor Analysis: In the remainder of this course, we will look at
  • The Principle of Minimal Coupling (section 5 of the lecture notes)
  • The Riemann Curvature Tensor (sections 7 and 8)
  • The Einstein Equations (sections 9 and 10)
  In order to be prepared for this, remind yourself of the definition and main properties of tensors and covariant derivatives. In particular, study sections 3 and 4 of the lecture notes (most of this we have already done), and take a preliminary look at sections 5.1--5.3 and section 7.
• Assignments 08
• Assignments 09

• Solutions 01
• Solutions 02
• Solutions 03
• Solutions 04
• Solutions 05
• Solutions 06
• Solutions 08
• Solutions 09

Highly Recommended Literature

• Excellent Introductory (Undergraduate) Texts


• N.M.J. Woodhouse: General Relativity
• J.B. Hartle: Gravity, An introduction to Einstein's General Relativity


• Elegant Modern Slightly More Advanced Books


• R.M. Wald: General Relativity
• S. Carroll: Spacetime and Geometry, an Introduction to General Relativity


• Classics


• C.W. Misner, K.S. Thorne, J.A. Wheeler: Gravitation
• S. Weinberg: Gravitation and Cosmology

GR Lectures Notes on the WWW and related Online Resources

• GR Lecture Notes: General


• Don Marolf: Notes on Relativity and Cosmology
• Gerard 't Hooft: Introduction to General Relativity
• Gary Gibbons: General Relativity
• Sean Carroll: Lecture Notes on General Relativity [see also the links at the bottom of that page]


• GR Lecture Notes: Black Holes


• Gerard 't Hooft: Introduction to the Theory of Black Holes
• Paul Townsend: Black Holes
• See also
• J.P. Luminet: Black Holes : A General Introduction
• S.A. Hughes: Trust but verify: The case for astrophysical black holes
• A. Mueller: Experimental Evidence of Black Holes


• GR Lecture Notes: Cosmology


• Mark Trodden, Sean Carroll: TASI Lectures: Introduction to Cosmology


• Other Useful Online Resources


• Sean Carroll's No-Nonsense Introduction to General Relativity
• John Baez: the General Relativity Tutorial
• Usenet Physics FAQ
• Einstein for Everyone (J.D. Norton)
• Picturing Black Holes (a nice introduction to Penrose diagrams, by J.D. Norton)
• Visualisation of Parallel Transport on the 2-Sphere (java applet)
• Gerard 't Hooft: Strange Misconceptions of General Relativity
• Wie man die Raumzeit krümmt
• Teil I
• Teil II
• TeilIII
• Teil IV
• Teil V


• Is our Universe a Black Hole? NO And since I get asked this question again and again (as if there weren't more interesting questions), usually by people who understand neither cosmology nor black holes, here are some links:


• Answer from the Physics FAQ: Is the Big Bang a Black Hole?
• Answer from Cosmic Variance
• Answer from Lubos Motl
• And another one
• arXiv:1001.4795: Through the Looking Glass: Why the Cosmic Horizon is not a horizon (a more detailed and technical account)


• Important Advice (from Nobel Laureate Gerard 't Hooft):


• Gerard 't Hooft: How to become a good theoretical physicist
• Gerard 't Hooft: How to become a bad theoretical physicist

Contact

• Matthias Blau, Office 220a
• Blaise Rollier, Office 219