Bibliography & References
Classic Textbooks
Gravitation
Misner, C. W., Thorne, K. S., & Wheeler, J. A. (1973). Gravitation. W. H. Freeman.
The comprehensive "phone book" of General Relativity. Over 1200 pages covering every aspect of GR with geometric insight.
The Large Scale Structure of Space-Time
Hawking, S. W., & Ellis, G. F. R. (1973). The Large Scale Structure of Space-Time. Cambridge University Press.
Rigorous mathematical treatment of GR, singularity theorems, and cosmology.
General Relativity
Wald, R. M. (1984). General Relativity. University of Chicago Press.
Modern, mathematically rigorous treatment. Excellent for graduate students.
Spacetime and Geometry
Carroll, S. M. (2004). Spacetime and Geometry: An Introduction to General Relativity. Addison Wesley.
Modern introduction with clear explanations. Free lecture notes available online.
Gravitation and Cosmology
Weinberg, S. (1972). Gravitation and Cosmology: Principles and Applications of the General Theory of Relativity. Wiley.
Physics-first approach by Nobel laureate. Emphasizes physical principles.
Cosmology
The Early Universe
Kolb, E. W., & Turner, M. S. (1990). The Early Universe. Addison-Wesley.
Comprehensive treatment of particle physics and cosmology. Standard reference.
Modern Cosmology
Dodelson, S., & Schmidt, F. (2020). Modern Cosmology (2nd ed.). Academic Press.
Detailed treatment of CMB, structure formation, and observational cosmology.
Physical Foundations of Cosmology
Mukhanov, V. (2005). Physical Foundations of Cosmology. Cambridge University Press.
Excellent on inflation and cosmological perturbation theory.
Cosmology
Weinberg, S. (2008). Cosmology. Oxford University Press.
Comprehensive modern cosmology from fundamental principles.
Black Holes
Black Holes and Time Warps
Thorne, K. S. (1994). Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy. W. W. Norton.
Accessible introduction by a leading expert. Historical perspective and physical insight.
The Mathematical Theory of Black Holes
Chandrasekhar, S. (1983). The Mathematical Theory of Black Holes. Oxford University Press.
Rigorous mathematical treatment of black hole solutions. Advanced level.
Black Hole Physics
Frolov, V. P., & Novikov, I. D. (1998). Black Hole Physics: Basic Concepts and New Developments. Springer.
Comprehensive treatment including quantum aspects and astrophysics.
Gravity's Fatal Attraction
Begelman, M., & Rees, M. (2010). Gravity's Fatal Attraction: Black Holes in the Universe (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Astrophysical black holes and observational evidence.
Quantum Gravity
Quantum Gravity
Rovelli, C. (2004). Quantum Gravity. Cambridge University Press.
Introduction to loop quantum gravity by one of its founders.
String Theory
Polchinski, J. (1998). String Theory (Vols. 1-2). Cambridge University Press.
Comprehensive graduate-level treatment. The standard reference.
A First Course in String Theory
Zwiebach, B. (2009). A First Course in String Theory (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Accessible introduction suitable for advanced undergraduates.
Covariant Loop Quantum Gravity
Rovelli, C., & Vidotto, F. (2014). Covariant Loop Quantum Gravity. Cambridge University Press.
Modern treatment emphasizing spin foams and cosmological applications.
The Large N Expansion in Quantum Field Theory and Statistical Physics
't Hooft, G. (1974). "A planar diagram theory for strong interactions." Nuclear Physics B, 72(3), 461-473.
Foundational paper leading to AdS/CFT correspondence.
Landmark Papers
Foundation of General Relativity
Einstein, A. (1915). "Die Feldgleichungen der Gravitation." Sitzungsberichte der Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 844-847.
The original paper presenting the Einstein field equations.
Schwarzschild Solution
Schwarzschild, K. (1916). "Über das Gravitationsfeld eines Massenpunktes nach der Einsteinschen Theorie." Sitzungsberichte der Königlich Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 189-196.
First exact solution to Einstein's equations - discovered while serving in WWI.
Expanding Universe
Hubble, E. (1929). "A Relation between Distance and Radial Velocity among Extra-Galactic Nebulae." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 15(3), 168-173.
Observational discovery of the expansion of the universe.
Hawking Radiation
Hawking, S. W. (1974). "Black hole explosions?" Nature, 248, 30-31.
Discovery that black holes emit thermal radiation due to quantum effects.
Cosmic Inflation
Guth, A. H. (1981). "Inflationary universe: A possible solution to the horizon and flatness problems." Physical Review D, 23(2), 347.
Introduction of the inflationary paradigm in cosmology.
AdS/CFT Correspondence
Maldacena, J. (1998). "The Large N limit of superconformal field theories and supergravity." Advances in Theoretical and Mathematical Physics, 2, 231-252.
Most cited paper in high-energy physics. Holographic principle.
Accelerating Universe
Riess, A. G., et al. (1998). "Observational Evidence from Supernovae for an Accelerating Universe and a Cosmological Constant." The Astronomical Journal, 116(3), 1009.
Discovery of dark energy through Type Ia supernovae. Nobel Prize 2011.
Gravitational Waves Detection
Abbott, B. P., et al. (LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration). (2016). "Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger." Physical Review Letters, 116(6), 061102.
First direct detection of gravitational waves. Nobel Prize 2017.
Modern Review Articles
Living Reviews in Relativity
Open-access journal with comprehensive review articles on all aspects of relativity.
Planck Mission Results
Planck Collaboration (2020). "Planck 2018 results." Astronomy & Astrophysics, 641.
Most precise CMB measurements and cosmological parameter constraints.
Event Horizon Telescope
Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration (2019). "First M87 Event Horizon Telescope Results." The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 875(1).
First image of a black hole shadow, confirming GR predictions.
Online Resources
arXiv.org
Preprint server for physics and mathematics. Sections: gr-qc (General Relativity), astro-ph.CO (Cosmology), hep-th (High Energy Physics - Theory)
INSPIRE-HEP
Comprehensive database for high-energy physics literature
NASA/ADS
Astrophysics Data System - searchable database of astronomy and physics papers
Perimeter Institute Recorded Seminars
Video lectures from leading researchers in theoretical physics