physics 675:
introduction to relativity,
gravitation and
cosmology
fall 2010 schedule
- instructor: alessandra buonanno
- class room: phy 4208
- lecture days: tuesday & thursday 2:00pm -
3:15pm
- first day of class: august 31
- last day of class: december 9
contact info
- office room: phy 4212
- e-mail: buonanno@umd.edu
- phone: (301) 405 1440
- office hours: after class or by appointment
grader
- grader: rong zhou
- office room: phys 4207A
- e-mail: zhour@umd.edu
- phone: (301) 405 8577
- office hours: mondays 9:00-11:00am
textbooks
the required textbook is "gravity: an introduction to einstein's
general relativity" by james hartle.
(web supplements can be find here.)
recommended textbooks are "spacetime and geometry: an introduction to
general relativity" by sean carroll,
"general relativity" by hobson, efstathiou and lasenby, and "a first
course in general relativity" by schutz.
prerequisite
phys601 and phys606, but undergraduate lagrangian mechanics (phys
410)
and electrodynamics (phys 411) should suffice.
homeworks
homeworks will be assigned once per week and posted on the course
webpage.
solutions will be posted on the course webpage.
the exercises are from hartle's book, except the S problems which were
conceived
and assigned by professor ted jacobson for phys 675 in previous years.
homework rules
- late homeworks are accepted only under serious circumstances
(to be discussed before due day)
- you are encouraged to discuss homeworks with other students,
however the work you turn in should be your own formulation and
reflection
- use of previous solutions is not allowed
(violation of this rule is cause for failure of the course)
- homework sets must show reasoning leading to the final
answers in a clear and readable fashion to obtain credit
- please, include your name and staple the pages together
exam
none.
grading
the course grade will be based on the homeworks.
academic integrity
the university has approved a code of academic integrity available
on
the web.
the code prohibits students from cheating on exams, plagiarizing
papers, submitting
the same paper for credit in two courses without authorization, buying
papers, submitting
fraudulent documents, and forging signatures. the university
senate requires that students
include the following signed statement on each examination or
assignment: “i pledge on my
honor that i have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on
this examination
(or assignment).” compliance with the code is administered by a
student honor council,
which strives to promote a “community of trust” on the college park
campus. allegations
of academic dishonesty can be reported directly to the honor council
(314-9154) by any
member of the campus community.
course description
The following topics will be covered during the course (tentative)
- review of special relativity
- equivalence principle
- curved spacetime
- mathematical structure of general relativity
- solar system tests of general relativity
- gravitational collapse and black holes
- rotating black holes
- cosmology
- gravitational waves
references on lectures
1-2-3-4:
- read chapters 2,3,4,5 from hartle's book
- living
review by cliff will (read sec. 2.1.1)
- observational
evidence of the GZK suppression: Auger and HiRes
- chapter IX of "subtle is the lord: the science and the
life of albert
einstein" by abraham pais
references on lectures 5-6-7:
- read chapters 6,7,8 from hartle's book
- living
review by cliff will (read secs. 2.1.2 and 2.1.3)
- read paper
by michel janssen on einstein's quest for general relativity
references
on lectures 7-8:
- read chapters 8, 20 from hartle's book
- read chapter 5 from schutz's book
references
on lectures 9-10:
- read chapters 21,22 from hartle's book
- read chapter 6 from schutz's book
references
on lectures 11-12-13:
- read chapter 9 from hartle's book
references
on lectures 14-15:
- read chapters 9,10 from hartle's book
references
on lectures 16-17-18:
- read chapter 12 from hartle's book
references
on lectures 19-20-21-22:
- read chapter 14, 15 from hartle's book
references
on lectures 22-23-24:
- read chapter 16 from hartle's book
- read this review
references
on lectures 25-26:
- read chapter 17, 18 from hartle's book
- read chapter 8 from carroll's book
references
on lectures 27-28-29:
- read chapter 18,19 from hartle's book
- read chapter 8 from carroll's book
homeworks
on lectures 1-2-3:
(assigned on Sep 2, due on Sep 9)
- problems
2-7, 5-1, 5-3, 5-13 from hartle's book
- problem S1
- solution S1
homeworks
on lectures 4-5-6-7:
(assigned on Sep 14, due on Sep 23)
- problems
6-14, 7-11, 7-12 from hartle's book
- problem S2
- solution S2
homeworks
on lectures 7-8:
(assigned on Sep 23, due on Sep 30)
homeworks
on lectures 9-10:
(assigned on Oct 5, due on Oct 12 )
homeworks
on lectures 11-12-13:
(assigned on Oct 12, due on Oct 21 )
- problems 9-8, 9-9, 9-11 from hartle's book<>
- problem S5
- solution S51
- solution S52
homeworks
on lectures 14-15:
(assigned on Oct 21, due on Oct 28 )
- problems 9-10, 9-18, 10-4 from hartle's book
- solution S6
homeworks
on lectures 16-17-18:
(assigned on Oct 28, due on Nov 4 )
- problems from hartle's book S7
- solution S7
homeworks
on lectures 19-20:
(assigned on Nov 4, due on Nov 9)
homeworks
on lectures 20-21-22:
(assigned on Nov 9, due on Nov 16)
homeworks
on lectures 22-23-24:
(assigned on Nov 16, due on Nov 23)
homeworks
on lectures 25-26:
(assigned on Nov 23, due on Dec 2)
- problems 17-5, 18-3, 18-11, 18-14, 18-16
homeworks
on lectures 27-28-29:
(assigned on Dec 2, due on Dec 9)
- problems 19-6, 19-8, 19-9
- problem S12
questions and comments may be sent to
buonanno@umd.edu
last modified on 11/30/2010
