Modern Introduction to General Relativity

‘Mark Hertzberg has written a wonderful book, with a fresh perspective on general relativity. The book is truly unique, explaining not merely what the theory of general relativity is, but also explaining how one could invent it, starting only from very general physical principles, along with the statement that gravitons are spin-2 massless particles. For those familiar with the traditional approach to general relativity, this book opens a fascinating exploration of the underlying fundamentals.’ Alan Guth, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
‘Einstein’s brilliant physical intuition allowed him to map gravitation to geometry. Yet, to a quantum field theorist, this is simply an effective approximation of the leading interaction between matter and gravity. Continuing to focus on this geometric approximation actively hinders our understanding of gravity’s quantum nature. This book articulates a straightforward, quantum field-theoretic approach to gravitation, stripping away the mysticism of geometry to reveal the physics underneath.’ Surjeet Rajendran, Johns Hopkins University
‘Modern research in gravitational physics requires an appreciation of aspects of general relativity that are not readily understood from standard geometrical reasoning. Hertzberg’s approach, building on consistency with particle physics principles, provides a timely and welcome complement to the traditional perspective. I imagine this textbook will serve as one of the new standard references for those learning the subject. It will also be of great use to any practitioner seeking a rigorous understanding of the underlying structure of general relativity, and the opportunities for new theoretical ideas in gravitational research.’ Mark Trodden, University of Pennsylvania
‘Modern Introduction to General Relativity fills a gap in the literature by following an approach that, instead of being historical or geometrical, is aligned with our modern understanding of particle physics based on effective field theories. It addresses many conceptual details and phenomenological applications to astrophysics and cosmology using simple terms. I think it will be a useful reference for students, instructors and researchers.’ Mehrdad Mirbabayi, Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP)

Mark P. Hertzberg is a Professor of Physics and Astronomy and Director of the Institute of Cosmology at Tufts University, Massachusetts. After undergraduate degrees at the University of Sydney, he received his Ph.D. from MIT in 2010, and held postdoctoral positions at Stanford and MIT, before joining Tufts in 2015. He is the author of more than eighty papers in physics at the interface between theoretical cosmology and particle physics, including astrophysics and aspects of quantum field theory. He has more than a decade’s experience in teaching physics at both graduate and undergraduate levels.

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