A First Course in Loop Quantum Gravity (Hardcover)

This book provides an accessible introduction to loop quantum gravity and some of its applications, at a level suitable for undergraduate students and others with only a minimal knowledge of college level physics. In particular it is not assumed that the reader is familiar with general relativity and only minimally familiar with quantum mechanics and Hamiltonian mechanics. Most chapters end with problems that elaborate on the text, and aid learning. Applications such as loop quantum cosmology, black hole entropy and spin foams are briefly covered. The text is ideally suited for an undergraduate course in the senior year of a physics major. It can also be used to introduce undergraduates to general relativity and quantum field theory as part of a 'special topics' type of course.

這本書提供了一個易於理解的介紹，關於迴圈量子重力及其應用，適合本科生和其他只具有最基本的大學物理知識的讀者。特別是，不假設讀者熟悉廣義相對論，只需對量子力學和哈密頓力學有最基本的了解。大多數章節結束時都有一些問題，以加深對內容的理解並幫助學習。書中簡要介紹了迴圈量子宇宙學、黑洞熵和自旋泡沫等應用。這本書非常適合作為物理專業大四本科生的一門本科課程教材。同時，它也可以作為一門“特殊主題”類型的課程，向本科生介紹廣義相對論和量子場論。