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Books > Science & Mathematics > Physics > Relativity physics > General
Einstein's energy-momentum relation is applicable to particles of
all speeds, including the particle at rest and the massless
particle moving with the speed of light. If one formula or
formalism is applicable to all speeds, we say it is
'Lorentz-covariant.' As for the internal space-time symmetries,
there does not appear to be a clear way to approach this problem.
For a particle at rest, there are three spin degrees of freedom.
For a massless particle, there are helicity and gauge degrees of
freedom. The aim of this book is to present one Lorentz-covariant
picture of these two different space-time symmetries. Using the
same mathematical tool, it is possible to give a Lorentz-covariant
picture of Gell-Mann's quark model for the proton at rest and
Feynman's parton model for the fast-moving proton. The mathematical
formalism for these aspects of the Lorentz covariance is based on
two-by-two matrices and harmonic oscillators which serve as two
basic scientific languages for many different branches of physics.
It is pointed out that the formalism presented in this book is
applicable to various aspects of optical sciences of current
interest.
cB) 114 7. 8 Constant electric and magnetic fields at right angles
(8,
Since the first French edition of the book emphasized rather the
solid facts of Cosmology than the detailed discussions of
controversial results, relatively few revisions were necessary for
the English edition. They were made early in 1979 and affected
about 5% of the text. The main revisions referred to the distance
scale, the dlstribution of galaxies, the X-ray observations of
clusters, the cosmic time evolution of quasars and radiogalaxies
and the 3 K radiation. A new short bibliography presents the recent
articles and the latest proceedings of Symposia; from these the
reader can easily trace a more complete list of refer ences. I am
happy to thank Professor Beiglbock for suggestions he made to
improve Part lIon Spaces of Constant Curvature, and Drs. S. and J.
Mitton for translating the manuscript into English. I also thank
with pleasure Marie-Ange Sevin for correcting the final version. J.
Heidmann March 1980, Meudon, France Preface The aim of this book is
to present the fundamentals of cosmology. Its subject is the study
of the universe on a grand scale: - on a grand distance scale,
since from the start, we shall be escaping the con fines of our own
Galaxy to explore space as far as the limits of the observable
universe, some ten thousand million light years away; - and on a
grand time scale, as we shall look back into the past to the very
first moments of the initial expansion, about twelve thousand
million years ago."
A brief introduction to gravity through Einstein's general theory
of relativity Of the four fundamental forces of nature, gravity
might be the least understood and yet the one with which we are
most intimate. From the months each of us spent suspended in the
womb anticipating birth to the moments when we wait for sleep to
transport us to other realities, we are always aware of gravity. In
On Gravity, physicist A. Zee combines profound depth with incisive
accessibility to take us on an original and compelling tour of
Einstein's general theory of relativity. Inspired by Einstein's
audacious suggestion that spacetime could ripple, Zee begins with
the stunning discovery of gravity waves. He goes on to explain how
gravity can be understood in comparison to other classical field
theories, presents the idea of curved spacetime and the action
principle, and explores cutting-edge topics, including black holes
and Hawking radiation. Zee travels as far as the theory reaches,
leaving us with tantalizing hints of the utterly unknown, from the
intransigence of quantum gravity to the mysteries of dark matter
and energy. Concise and precise, and infused with Zee's signature
warmth and freshness of style, On Gravity opens a unique pathway to
comprehending relativity and gaining deep insight into gravity,
spacetime, and the workings of the universe.
As we navigate through life we instinctively model time as having a
flowing present that divides a fixed past from open future. This
model develops in childhood and is deeply saturated within our
language, thought and behavior, affecting our conceptions of the
universe, freedom and the self. Yet as central as it is to our
lives, physics seems to have no room for this flowing present. What
Makes Time Special? demonstrates this claim in detail and then
turns to two novel positive tasks. First, by looking at the world
"sideways" - in the spatial directions - it shows that physics is
not "spatializing time" as is commonly alleged. Even relativity
theory makes significant distinctions between the spacelike and
timelike directions, often with surprising consequences. Second, if
the flowing present is an illusion, it is a deep one worthy of
explanation. The author develops a picture whereby the temporal
flow arises as an interaction effect between an observer and the
physics of the world. Using insights from philosophy, cognitive
science, biology, psychology and physics, the theory claims that
the flowing present model of time is the natural reaction to the
perceptual and evolutionary challenges thrown at us. Modeling time
as flowing makes sense even if it misrepresents it.
This book is an elaboration of lecture notes for the graduate
course on General Rela tivity given by the author at Boston
University in the spring semester of 1972. It is an introduction to
the subject only, as the time available for the course was limited.
The author of an introduction to General Relativity is faced from
the beginning with the difficult task of choosing which material to
include. A general criterion as sisting in this choice is provided
by the didactic character of the book: Those chapters have to be
included in priority, which will be most useful to the reader in
enabling him to understand the methods used in General Relativity,
the results obtained so far and possibly the problems still to be
solved. This criterion is not sufficient to ensure a unique choice.
General Relativity has developed to such a degree, that it is
impossible to include in an introductory textbook of a reasonable
length even a very condensed treatment of all important problems
which have been discussed until now and the author is obliged to
decide, in a more or less subjective manner, which of the more
recent developments to omit. The following lines indicate by means
of some examples the kind of choice made in this book."
BY W. H. MCCREA, F. R. S. 'THE only justification for our concepts
and system of concepts is that they serve to represent the complex
of our experiences; beyond this they have no legitimacy. ' So
Einstein writes on page 2 of this book. Most present-day physicists
would agree, and many before Einstein must have held the same
opinion. Einstein, however, put the opinion into practice to better
purpose than any physicist before him. And for Einstein it
evidently meant what it means for most of us today: a theory is the
construction of a theoretical model of the world of physics; all
the mathematical discussion applies to the model; the model
embodies the 'system of concepts', and it serves 'to represent the
complex of our experiences' if the experience of the theoretical
observer in the theoretical model can be put into satisfactory
correspondence with the experi- ence of the actual observer in the
actual physical world. Classical mechanics and classical
electromagnetism pro- vide models that are good representations of
two sets of actual experiences. As Einstein was the first fully to
appreciate, however, it is not possible to combine these into a
single self-consistent model. The construction of the simplest
possible self-consistent model is the achieve- ment of Einstein's
theory of special relativity. The theory is found, in particular,
to give a satisfactory representation of the electromagnetic
interaction between charged particles through its use of the
concept of the electromagnetic field.
On their 100th anniversary, the story of the extraordinary
scientific expeditions that ushered in the era of relativity In
1919, British scientists led extraordinary expeditions to Brazil
and Africa to test Albert Einstein's revolutionary new theory of
general relativity in what became the century's most celebrated
scientific experiment. The result ushered in a new era and made
Einstein a global celebrity by confirming his dramatic prediction
that the path of light rays would be bent by gravity. Today,
Einstein's theory is scientific fact. Yet the effort to "weigh
light" by measuring the gravitational deflection of starlight
during the May 29, 1919, solar eclipse has become clouded by myth
and skepticism. Could Arthur Eddington and Frank Dyson have gotten
the results they claimed? Did the pacifist Eddington falsify
evidence to foster peace after a horrific war by validating the
theory of a German antiwar campaigner? In No Shadow of a Doubt,
Daniel Kennefick provides definitive answers by offering the most
comprehensive and authoritative account of how expedition
scientists overcame war, bad weather, and equipment problems to
make the experiment a triumphant success. The reader follows
Eddington on his voyage to Africa through his letters home, and
delves with Dyson into how the complex experiment was accomplished,
through his notes. Other characters include Howard Grubb, the
brilliant Irishman who made the instruments; William Campbell, the
American astronomer who confirmed the result; and Erwin
Findlay-Freundlich, the German whose attempts to perform the test
in Crimea were foiled by clouds and his arrest. By chronicling the
expeditions and their enormous impact in greater detail than ever
before, No Shadow of a Doubt reveals a story that is even richer
and more exciting than previously known.
There is little doubt that Einstein's theory of relativity captures
the imagination. Not only has it radically altered the way we view
the universe, but the theory also has a considerable number of
surprises in store. This is especially so in the three main topics
of current interest that this book reaches, namely: black holes,
gravitational waves, and cosmology. The main aim of this textbook
is to provide students with a sound mathematical introduction
coupled to an understanding of the physical insights needed to
explore the subject. Indeed, the book follows Einstein in that it
introduces the theory very much from a physical point of view.
After introducing the special theory of relativity, the basic field
equations of gravitation are derived and discussed carefully as a
prelude to first solving them in simple cases and then exploring
the three main areas of application. This new edition contains a
substantial extension content that considers new and updated
developments in the field. Topics include coverage of the
advancement of observational cosmology, the detection of
gravitational waves from colliding black holes and neutron stars,
and advancements in modern cosmology. Einstein's theory of
relativity is undoubtedly one of the greatest achievements of the
human mind. Yet, in this book, the author makes it possible for
students with a wide range of abilities to deal confidently with
the subject. Based on both authors' experience teaching the subject
this is achieved by breaking down the main arguments into a series
of simple logical steps. Full details are provided in the text and
the numerous exercises while additional insight is provided through
the numerous diagrams. As a result this book makes an excellent
course for any reader coming to the subject for the first time
while providing a thorough understanding for any student wanting to
go on to study the subject in depth
A beloved introductory physics textbook, now including exercises
and an answer key, explains the concepts essential for thorough
scientific understanding In this concise book, R. Shankar, a
well-known physicist and contagiously enthusiastic educator,
explains the essential concepts of Newtonian mechanics, special
relativity, waves, fluids, thermodynamics, and statistical
mechanics. Now in an expanded edition-complete with problem sets
and answers for course use or self-study-this work provides an
ideal introduction for college-level students of physics,
chemistry, and engineering; for AP Physics students; and for
general readers interested in advances in the sciences. The book
begins at the simplest level, develops the basics, and reinforces
fundamentals, ensuring a solid foundation in the principles and
methods of physics.
Do something amazing and learn a new skill thanks to the Little
Ways to Live a Big Life books! The beginning of the 20th century
heralded a scientific revolution: what a few brilliant minds
uncovered about our reality in the first twenty years has shaped
the history of our species. And one of them in particular stands
out: Einstein, with his celebrated E=mc2. In this remarkable and
insightful book, Christophe Galfard describes how E=mc2 is a direct
consequence of the Theory of Special Relativity, the theory of how
objects move and behave, at speeds close to the speed of light. He
considers Einstein's legacy in the light of the 21st century, with
fresh hindsight, and considers its impact on our vision of reality.
The reader will discover that far from being just a formula, it is
a brand new understanding of the nature of space and time. Some of
the greatest scientific breakthroughs in the history of science
have been made by geniuses who managed to merge and unite hitherto
separated domains of knowledge. Galfard explores two unifications
with Einstein's theories, and looks at the even bigger picture of
how E=mc2 has changed our world, and what it entails for the
future. Throughout, Galfard takes the reader on an extremely
entertaining journey, using simple, jargon-free language to help
the reader gain a deeper understanding of science. With humour and
patience, he guides us through the world of particles, anti-matter
and much more to bring us closer to an ultimate understanding of
reality as we understand it today.
If the laws of nature are fine-tuned for life, can we infer other
universes with different laws? How could we even test such a theory
without empirical access to those distant places? Can we believe in
the multiverse of the Everett interpretation of quantum theory or
in the reality of other possible worlds, as advocated by
philosopher David Lewis? At the intersection of physics and
philosophy of science, this book outlines the philosophical
challenge to theoretical physics in a measured, well-grounded
manner. The origin of multiverse theories are explored within the
context of the fine-tuning problem and a systematic comparison
between the various different multiverse models are included.
Cosmologists, high energy physicists, and philosophers including
graduate students and researchers will find a systematic
exploration of such questions in this important book.
Applications of quantum field theoretical methods to gravitational
physics, both in the semiclassical and the full quantum frameworks,
require a careful formulation of the fundamental basis of quantum
theory, with special attention to such important issues as
renormalization, quantum theory of gauge theories, and especially
effective action formalism. The first part of this graduate
textbook provides both a conceptual and technical introduction to
the theory of quantum fields. The presentation is consistent,
starting from elements of group theory, classical fields, and
moving on to the effective action formalism in general gauge
theories. Compared to other existing books, the general formalism
of renormalization in described in more detail, and special
attention paid to gauge theories. This part can serve as a textbook
for a one-semester introductory course in quantum field theory. In
the second part, we discuss basic aspects of quantum field theory
in curved space, and perturbative quantum gravity. More than half
of Part II is written with a full exposition of details, and
includes elaborated examples of simplest calculations. All chapters
include exercises ranging from very simple ones to those requiring
small original investigations. The selection of material of the
second part is done using the "must-know" principle. This means we
included detailed expositions of relatively simple techniques and
calculations, expecting that the interested reader will be able to
learn more advanced issues independently after working through the
basic material, and completing the exercises.
Covariant Physics: From Classical Mechanics to General Relativity
and Beyond endeavours to provide undergraduate students as well as
self-learners with training in the fundamentals of the modern
theories of spacetime, most notably the general theory of
relativity as well as physics in curved spacetime backgrounds in
general. This text does so with the barest of mathematical
preparation. In fact, very little beyond multivariable calculus and
a bit of linear algebra is assumed. Throughout this textbook, the
main theme tying the various topics is the so-called principle of
covariance - a fundamental symmetry of physics that one rarely
encounters in undergraduate texts. The material is introduced very
gradually, starting with the simplest of high school mathematics,
and moving through the more intense notions of tensor calculus,
geometry, and differential forms with ease. Familiar notions from
classical mechanics and electrodynamics are used to increase
familiarity with the advanced mathematical ideas, and to emphasize
the unity of all of physics under the single principle of
covariance. The mathematical and physical techniques developed in
this book should allow students to perform research in various
fields of theoretical physics as early as their sophomore year in
college. The language the reader will learn in this book is the
foundational mathematical language of many modern branches of
physics, and as such should allow them to read and generally
understand many modern physics papers.
As we navigate through life we instinctively model time as having a
flowing present that divides a fixed past from open future. This
model develops in childhood and is deeply saturated within our
language, thought and behavior, affecting our conceptions of the
universe, freedom and the self. Yet as central as it is to our
lives, physics seems to have no room for this flowing present. What
Makes Time Special? demonstrates this claim in detail and then
turns to two novel positive tasks. First, by looking at the world
"sideways" - in the spatial directions - it shows that physics is
not "spatializing time" as is commonly alleged. Even relativity
theory makes significant distinctions between the spacelike and
timelike directions, often with surprising consequences. Second, if
the flowing present is an illusion, it is a deep one worthy of
explanation. The author develops a picture whereby the temporal
flow arises as an interaction effect between an observer and the
physics of the world. Using insights from philosophy, cognitive
science, biology, psychology and physics, the theory claims that
the flowing present model of time is the natural reaction to the
perceptual and evolutionary challenges thrown at us. Modeling time
as flowing makes sense even if it misrepresents it.
Einstein's general theory of relativity is introduced in this
advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate level textbook.
Topics include special relativity, in the formalism of Minkowski's
four-dimensional space-time, the principle of equivalence,
Riemannian geometry and tensor analysis, Einstein field equation,
as well as many modern cosmological subjects, from primordial
inflation and cosmic microwave anisotropy to the dark energy that
propels an accelerating universe.
The author presents the subject with an emphasis on physical
examples and simple applications without the full tensor apparatus.
The reader first learns how to describe curved spacetime. At this
mathematically more accessible level, the reader can already study
the many interesting phenomena such as gravitational lensing,
precession of Mercury's perihelion, black holes, and cosmology. The
full tensor formulation is presented later, when the Einstein
equation is solved for a few symmetric cases. Many modern topics in
cosmology are discussed in this book: from inflation, cosmic
microwave anisotropy to the "dark energy" that propels an
accelerating universe.
Mathematical accessibility, together with the various pedagogical
devices (e.g., worked-out solutions of chapter-end problems), make
it practical for interested readers to use the book to study
general relativity and cosmology on their own.
Ryan Wasserman explores a range of fascinating questions raised by
the possibility of time travel. This volume explores a wide-range
of puzzles such as the grandfather paradox, the bootstrapping
paradox, and the twin paradox of special relativity. Ryan Wasserman
draws out their implications for our understanding of time, tense,
freedom, fatalism, causation, counterfactuals, laws of nature,
persistence, change, and mereology. Paradoxes of Time Travel is
written in an accessible style, and filled with entertaining
examples from physics, science fiction, and popular culture.
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