Einstein equations

of the gravitational field

Fundamental equations in the general theory of relativity. They connect the metric tensor of the space-time continuum, which describes the gravitational field, and the physical characteristics of different forms of matter, described by means of the energy-momentum tensor:

$$R_{ik}-\frac12g_{ik}R=\frac{8\pi}{c^4}GT_{ik}.$$

Here $R_{ik}$ is the Ricci tensor, which can be expressed in terms of the metric tensor $g_{ik}$, $R=R_i^i$, $T_{ik}$ is the energy-momentum tensor, $c$ is the speed of light in vacuum, and $G$ is the gravitational constant.

#### References[edit]

[1] |  L.D. Landau, E.M. Lifshitz, "The classical theory of fields" , Addison-Wesley (1962) (Translated from Russian)

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[a1] |  S. Weinberg, "Gravitation and cosmology" , Wiley (1972) pp. Chapt. 7
[a2] |  R.M. Wald, "General relativity" , Univ. Chicago Press (1984) pp. Chapt. 4