Misner C.W., Thorne K.S., Wheeler J.A. Gravitation

W. H. Freeman, 1973. — 1215 p. — Series: Physics Series
ISBN10: 0716703440 ISBN13: 978-0716703440This landmark text offers a rigorous full-year graduate level course on gravitation physics, teaching students to:
Grasp the laws of physics in flat spacetime
Predict orders of magnitude
Calculate using the principal tools of modern geometry
Predict all levels of precision
Understand Einstein's geometric framework for physics
Explore applications, including pulsars and neutron stars, cosmology, the Schwarzschild geometry and gravitational collapse, and gravitational waves
Probe experimental tests of Einstein's theory
Tackle advanced topics such as superspace and quantum geometrodynamicsThe book offers a unique, alternating two-track pathway through the subject:
In many chapters, material focusing on basic physical ideas is designated as
Track
1. These sections together make an appropriate one-term advanced/graduate level course (mathematical prerequisites: vector analysis and simple partial-differential equations). The book is printed to make it easy for readers to identify these sections.
The remaining Track 2 material provides a wealth of advanced topics instructors can draw from to flesh out a two-term course, with Track 1 sections serving as prerequisites.