Gravitational waves and black holes - An introduction to the physics of general relativity

In these lectures general relativity is outlined as the classical field theory of gravity, emphasizing physical phenomena rather than formalism. Dynamical solutions representing traveling waves as well as stationary fields like those of black holes are discussed. Their properties are investigated by studying the geodesic structure of the corresponding space-times, as representing the motion of point-like test particles. The interaction between gravitational, electro-magnetic and scalar fields is also considered.