Variational Approach to Gravity Field Theories: From Newton to Einstein and Beyond

This book provides a comprehensive and engaging exploration of the Lagrangian, or variational, approach to general relativity and beyond. The usual approach to explaining general relativity involves introducing the necessary concepts of differential geometry and deriving the field and geodesic equations from purely geometrical properties. Demonstrating the physical meaning then requires using the weak field approximation of these equations to recover their Newtonian counterparts. The potential drawback of this approach is that it tends to be more suitable for those with a mathematical mindset and requires the physicist to work in a completely unfamiliar environment. In contrast, the approach to general relativity described in this book is especially well-suited for physics students. After an introduction to field theories and the variational approach, individual sections focus on the variational approach in relation to special relativity, general relativity, and alternative theories of gravity. Throughout the text, solved exercises and examples are presented. This book will meet the needs of both students specializing in theoretical physics and those seeking a better understanding of specific aspects of the subject.

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