This 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 geometrodynamics The 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.

In this book, Robert Wald provides a pedagogical introduction to the formulation of quantum field theory in curved spacetime. He begins with a treatment of the ordinary one-dimensional quantum harmonic oscillator, progresses through the construction of quantum field theory in flat spacetime to possible constructions of quantum field theory in curved spacetime, and, ultimately, to an algebraic formulation of the theory. In his presentation, Wald disentangles essential features of the theory from inessential ones (such as a particle interpretation) and clarifies relationships between various approaches to the formulation of the theory. He also provides a comprehensive, up-to-date account of the Unruh effect, the Hawking effect, and some of its ramifications. In particular, the subject of black hole thermodynamics, which remains an active area of research, is treated in depth. This book is intended for students and researchers who have had introductory courses in general relativity and quantum field theory, and should be of interest to scientists in general relativity and related fields.