Elements of Topology, Differential Geometry and General Relativity for Physicists: A Mathematica-based Tutorial Approach

Abstract

This book is a self-contained, tutorial introduction to topology, differential geometry, and general relativity for students and researchers in physics. Its distinguishing feature is a Mathematica-based approach that makes abstract constructions concrete through explicit, runnable notebooks and worked examples. A key contribution is a large collection of original Mathematica notebooks, written by the authors themselves, that let readers run, verify, and extend every demonstration. The first part covers point-set topology, topological spaces, continuity of maps, homotopy, and the fundamental group with applications that highlight the role of topology in modern physics. The second and largest part develops differential geometry from the ground up: manifolds, tangent and dual spaces, vector fields, pullbacks and pushforwards, Lie brackets and Lie algebras, local flows, and the Lie derivative. It then treats tensors, differential forms, the exterior derivative, volume forms, the metric tensor, and Hodge duality, emphasizing coordinate-free formulations and their computational realization. These tools are applied to Maxwell's equations in the language of forms and the generalized Stokes theorem, while Lie groups, fiber bundles, connections, and curvature bridge geometry and gauge-theoretic physics. The final part uses this framework to present general relativity, computing curvature tensors and field equations for standard spacetimes with dedicated Mathematica packages. Throughout, the book balances mathematical rigor with hands-on computation, enabling readers both to understand the theory and to reproduce every result themselves.