Introduction

This monograph describes the different formulations of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. Unlike traditional treatments, Cartan's geometry of fibre bundles and differential forms is placed at the forefront, and a detailed review of the relevant differential geometry is presented.

Focus on General Relativity

Particular emphasis is given to general relativity in 4D space-time, in which the concepts of chirality and self-duality begin to play a key role. Associated chiral formulations are catalogued, and shown to lead to many practical simplifications.

Chiral Gravitational Perturbation Theory

The book develops the chiral gravitational perturbation theory, in which the spinor formalism plays a central role.

Twistor Description of Gravity

The book also presents in detail the twistor description of gravity, as well as its generalisation based on geometry of 3-forms in seven dimensions.

Conclusion

Giving valuable insight into the very nature of gravity, this book joins our highly prestigious Cambridge Monographs in Mathematical Physics series. It will interest graduate students and researchers in the fields of theoretical physics and differential geometry.