Cosmology and the universe Books

Book SynopsisThis book describes the subject of electrodynamics at classical as well as quantum level, developed as an interaction at a distance. Thus it has electric charges interacting with one another directly and not through the medium of a field. In general such an interaction travels forward and backward in time symmetrically, thus apparently violating the principle of causality. It turns out, however, that in such a description the cosmological boundary conditions become very important. The theory therefore works only in a cosmology with the right boundary conditions; but when it does work it is free from the divergences that plague a quantum field theory.

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Book SynopsisThis book describes the subject of electrodynamics at classical as well as quantum level, developed as an interaction at a distance. Thus it has electric charges interacting with one another directly and not through the medium of a field. In general such an interaction travels forward and backward in time symmetrically, thus apparently violating the principle of causality. It turns out, however, that in such a description the cosmological boundary conditions become very important. The theory therefore works only in a cosmology with the right boundary conditions; but when it does work it is free from the divergences that plague a quantum field theory.

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Book SynopsisThis book provides an up-to-date understanding of the progress and current problems of the interplay of nonlocality in the classical theories of gravitation and quantum theory. These problems lie on the border between general relativity and quantum physics, including quantum gravity.

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Book SynopsisThis is an invaluable collection of colloquium-type lectures given by some of the most prominent theoretical physicists of today. In a form accessible to the interested general physicist, it covers topics ranging from the use of field-theoretical methods in different contexts via duality symmetries between various field theories, to the Ads/CFT correspondence and cosmology.Table of ContentsThe Weak Interaction: Its History and Impact on Physics (T D Lee); Electron Orbits and Superconductivity of Carbon 60 (T D Lee); The Power of Duality - Exact Results in 4D SUSY Field Theory (N Seiberg); String Theory as a Universal Language (A M Polyakov); The Cosmological Tests (P J E Peebles); Anti-de-Sitter Space, Thermal Phase Transition, and Confinement in Gauge Theories (E Witten); Can There Be Physics Without Experiments? Challenges and Pitfalls (G 't Hooft).

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Book SynopsisRecent advances in the understanding of star formation and evolution have been impressive and aspects of that knowledge are explored in this volume. The black hole stellar endpoints are studied and geodesic motion is explored. The emission of gravitational waves is featured due to their very recent experimental discovery.The second aspect of the text is space exploration which began 62 years ago with the Sputnik Earth satellite followed by the landing on the Moon just 50 years ago. Since then Mars has been explored remotely as well as flybys of the outer planets and probes which have escaped the solar system. The text explores many aspects of rocket travel. Finally possibilities for interstellar travel are discussed.All these topics are treated in a unified way using the Matlab App to combine text, figures, formulae and numeric input and output. In this way the reader may vary parameters and see the results in real time. That experience aids in building up an intuitive feel for the many specific problems given in this text.

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Book SynopsisRecent advances in the understanding of star formation and evolution have been impressive and aspects of that knowledge are explored in this volume. The black hole stellar endpoints are studied and geodesic motion is explored. The emission of gravitational waves is featured due to their very recent experimental discovery.The second aspect of the text is space exploration which began 62 years ago with the Sputnik Earth satellite followed by the landing on the Moon just 50 years ago. Since then Mars has been explored remotely as well as flybys of the outer planets and probes which have escaped the solar system. The text explores many aspects of rocket travel. Finally possibilities for interstellar travel are discussed.All these topics are treated in a unified way using the Matlab App to combine text, figures, formulae and numeric input and output. In this way the reader may vary parameters and see the results in real time. That experience aids in building up an intuitive feel for the many specific problems given in this text.

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Book SynopsisThis book describes some of the frontier problems of cosmology: our almost total ignorance of what the Universe is made up of, the mystery of its origin and its end. The book starts with a description of the historical events that led to the construction of the Big Bang model together with the stages that transformed the Universe from a very hot place to a very cold one, full with the structures that we observe today. These structures (stars, galaxies, etc.) constitute only 5% of the contents of the Universe. Concerning the remaining 95%, dubbed dark matter and dark energy, we know very little, and we have only indirect evidence of their existence. The text describes the story and the protagonists who showed the need for the existence of this 'missing matter', the observations, and puzzles they had to solve to understand that dark matter was not ordinary matter. The book describes the hunt for dark matter, carried out with instruments operating in space, on the Earth's surface, and in laboratories built in the bowels of the Earth. It also describes dark energy, which manifests itself in the accelerated expansion of the Universe, and appeared only a few billions of years ago. The book discusses why dark energy must exist and what its existence implies, especially for the future and the end of our Universe.Table of ContentsIndex; Introduction; A Brief History of the Big Bang Theory; The Primordial Universe; How do We Know that Dark Matter Exists?; The Harmony of the World; What is Dark Matter?; The Golden Age of Particle Physics: The Standard Model; Dark Matter Candidates; Detection of Dark Matter; Dark Energy; End of the Universe;

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Book SynopsisThis book describes some of the frontier problems of cosmology: our almost total ignorance of what the Universe is made up of, the mystery of its origin and its end. The book starts with a description of the historical events that led to the construction of the Big Bang model together with the stages that transformed the Universe from a very hot place to a very cold one, full with the structures that we observe today. These structures (stars, galaxies, etc.) constitute only 5% of the contents of the Universe. Concerning the remaining 95%, dubbed dark matter and dark energy, we know very little, and we have only indirect evidence of their existence. The text describes the story and the protagonists who showed the need for the existence of this 'missing matter', the observations, and puzzles they had to solve to understand that dark matter was not ordinary matter. The book describes the hunt for dark matter, carried out with instruments operating in space, on the Earth's surface, and in laboratories built in the bowels of the Earth. It also describes dark energy, which manifests itself in the accelerated expansion of the Universe, and appeared only a few billions of years ago. The book discusses why dark energy must exist and what its existence implies, especially for the future and the end of our Universe.

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Book SynopsisDoes science deny God? Did the Universe and life appear by chance or is there evidence of a bigger scheme of thing behind them? In this context, I am concerned with answering these questions. This problem is addressed using knowledge in cosmology, physics and biology. The initial part describes the stages of the 'Genesis' according to physical cosmology from the Big Bang to the appearance of life on Earth. It will touch on problems of why the universe is dominated by matter, the theory of inflation, the limits of our knowledge on the early Universe, the lack of a theory that can allow us to study the phases immediately after the Big Bang, the relation between the concepts of quantum mechanics and the existence of God. It shows how the Universe is finely regulated, that is, the physical constants have been chosen so that life appears in the Universe. The regulation is so strong that we are forced to think the existence of a great designer who has created a particular Universe like the one we are observing. This conclusion can be avoided only if there is an infinity of universes, a multiverse. We ask ourselves if science can create the Universe from nothing and using the same arguments of cosmologists such as Krauss (author of The Universe from Nothing). It is now known that the current science does not allow the creation of a Universe from absolutely nothing. Physics and cosmology do not deny God. Indeed, the argument of the fine adjustment of constants is strongly indicative of the existence of a great designer. Other evidence confirming this comes from biology. Thousands of experiments in recent decades highlight the impossibility of generating life in the laboratory. There is an intrinsic order in life encoded in DNA that is not present in experiments. Simple calculations show that the 'blind and aimless' evolution described by neo-Darwinists such as Dawkins does not allow the generation of life.

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Book Synopsis'Cosmic Paradoxes' was an outcome of a Conference-Summer Course on 'Astrophysical Cosmology: Frontier Questions' held at El Escorial, Madrid, on August 16-19, 1993. The Scientific Directors were John C Mather, Director of NASA's COBE (Cosmic Background Radiation Explorer), and Jose M Torroja, Secretary of the Spanish Academy of Sciences. Julio A Gonzalo, UAM, was in charge of coordinating the event. The first speaker was Ralph A Alpher, one of the pioneers who predicted very early the CBR (Cosmic Background Radiation). The CBR was observed by A Penzias and R Wilson, Bell Telephone Labs, in 1965. Thereafter it was measured with unprecedented precision by the COBE in 1989, characterizing the Planck spectral distribution of the CBR (J C Mather) and detecting its minute anisotropies (G Smoot). In 2003 the WMAP, NASA's satellite successor of the COBE, confirmed COBE's results, and gave an excellent quantitative estimate of the 'age' of the universe as 13.7 ± 0.2 Gyrs, in support of the Big Bang theory of cosmic origins.In the Third Edition of this book, almost coincident with the launch reports of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), includes recent work discussing evidence in favor of an open finite universe. A further discussion of the Heisenberg-Lemaitre time (Appendix D) takes into consideration that the cosmic expansion velocity at very early times is Ṙ(yHL)≫c and reviews in more detail the thermal history of the universe.

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Book Synopsis'Cosmic Paradoxes' was an outcome of a Conference-Summer Course on 'Astrophysical Cosmology: Frontier Questions' held at El Escorial, Madrid, on August 16-19, 1993. The Scientific Directors were John C Mather, Director of NASA's COBE (Cosmic Background Radiation Explorer), and Jose M Torroja, Secretary of the Spanish Academy of Sciences. Julio A Gonzalo, UAM, was in charge of coordinating the event. The first speaker was Ralph A Alpher, one of the pioneers who predicted very early the CBR (Cosmic Background Radiation). The CBR was observed by A Penzias and R Wilson, Bell Telephone Labs, in 1965. Thereafter it was measured with unprecedented precision by the COBE in 1989, characterizing the Planck spectral distribution of the CBR (J C Mather) and detecting its minute anisotropies (G Smoot). In 2003 the WMAP, NASA's satellite successor of the COBE, confirmed COBE's results, and gave an excellent quantitative estimate of the 'age' of the universe as 13.7 ± 0.2 Gyrs, in support of the Big Bang theory of cosmic origins.In the Third Edition of this book, almost coincident with the launch reports of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), includes recent work discussing evidence in favor of an open finite universe. A further discussion of the Heisenberg-Lemaitre time (Appendix D) takes into consideration that the cosmic expansion velocity at very early times is Ṙ(yHL)≫c and reviews in more detail the thermal history of the universe.

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Book SynopsisDoes science deny God? Did the Universe and life appear by chance or is there evidence of a bigger scheme of thing behind them? In this context, I am concerned with answering these questions. This problem is addressed using knowledge in cosmology, physics and biology. The initial part describes the stages of the 'Genesis' according to physical cosmology from the Big Bang to the appearance of life on Earth. It will touch on problems of why the universe is dominated by matter, the theory of inflation, the limits of our knowledge on the early Universe, the lack of a theory that can allow us to study the phases immediately after the Big Bang, the relation between the concepts of quantum mechanics and the existence of God. It shows how the Universe is finely regulated, that is, the physical constants have been chosen so that life appears in the Universe. The regulation is so strong that we are forced to think the existence of a great designer who has created a particular Universe like the one we are observing. This conclusion can be avoided only if there is an infinity of universes, a multiverse. We ask ourselves if science can create the Universe from nothing and using the same arguments of cosmologists such as Krauss (author of The Universe from Nothing). It is now known that the current science does not allow the creation of a Universe from absolutely nothing. Physics and cosmology do not deny God. Indeed, the argument of the fine adjustment of constants is strongly indicative of the existence of a great designer. Other evidence confirming this comes from biology. Thousands of experiments in recent decades highlight the impossibility of generating life in the laboratory. There is an intrinsic order in life encoded in DNA that is not present in experiments. Simple calculations show that the 'blind and aimless' evolution described by neo-Darwinists such as Dawkins does not allow the generation of life.

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Book SynopsisThe second set of The Encyclopedia of Cosmology, in three volumes, continues this major, long-lasting, seminal reference at the graduate student level laid out by the most prominent researchers in the general field of cosmology. Together, these volumes will be a comprehensive review of the most important current topics in cosmology, discussing the important concepts and current status in each field, covering both theory and observation.These three volumes are edited by Dr Giovanni Fazio from the Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian, with each volume authored or edited by specialists in the area: Modified Gravity by Claudia de Rham and Andrew Tolley (Imperial College), Neutrino Physics and Astrophysics edited by Floyd Stecker (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center), Black Holes edited by Zoltan Haiman (Columbia University). These volumes follow the earlier publication in 2020 of The Encyclopedia of Cosmology, which comprises the following four volumes: Galaxy Formation and Evolution by Rennan Barkana (Tel Aviv University), Numerical Simulations in Cosmology edited by Kentaro Nagamine (Osaka University / University of Nevada), Dark Energy by Shinji Tsujikawa (Tokyo University of Science), and Dark Matter by Jihn E Kim (Seoul National University). The Encyclopedia aims to provide an overview of the most important topics in cosmology and serve as an up-to-date reference in astrophysics.

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Book SynopsisThis is the story of the author's unique scientific journey with one of the most remarkable men of 20th century science. The journey begins in Sri Lanka, the author's native country, with his childhood acquaintance with Fred Hoyle's writings. The action then moves to Cambridge, where the famous Hoyle-Wickramasinghe collaborations begin. A research programme which was started in 1962 on the carbonaceous nature of interstellar dust leads, over the next two decades, to developments that are continued in both Cambridge and Cardiff. These developments prompt Hoyle and the author to postulate the organic theory of cosmic dust (which is now generally accepted), and then to challenge one of the most cherished paradigms of contemporary science — the theory that life originated on Earth in a warm primordial soup.A Journey with Fred Hoyle is an intriguing book that traces the progress of a collaboration spanning 40 years, through a sequence of personal reflections, anecdotes and reminiscences. Ideas that were thought heretical 25 years ago are now quietly slipping into the domain of orthodox science.Table of ContentsOrigins: Prelude to the Journey Cambridge and a First Meeting A Hike in the Lake District Betwixt the Stars The Route to Carbon Dust A Theory Takes Shape The Institute of Astronomy: The Vintage Years Winds of Change The Cardiff Era The Search for Cosmic Life Life from Comets and Pathogens from Space First Signs of Life Bacterial Dust Predictions Verified Life on the Planets Evolution from Space Theories of Trial A Fossil Controversy Comet Halley and Its Legacy Alternative Cosmologies The Last Decade

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Book SynopsisThis volume presents a comprehensive introduction to modern cosmology from an astrophysical viewpoint. Key features of the book are: breadth of topics covered, from quantum cosmology to recent observational advances; up-to-the-minute inclusion of many recent results, e.g. from the WMAP satellite; the level of the work, suited to both students and professionals in the field.Table of ContentsGravity and Cosmology (S Scott); The Expanding and Accelerating Universe (B Schmidt); The Inflationary Universe (C Lineweaver); The Formation of Large-Scale Structure and Galaxies (G Kauffmann); The Large-Scale Structure of the Universe (M Colless); The Physics of Galaxy Formation (M Dopita); The Cosmic Microwave Background (C Lineweaver); HI in the Universe (F Briggs); The End of the Dark Ages (B Peterson); Dark Matter in the Universe (K Freeman); Gravitational Lensing as a Probe of Structure (R Webster); Radio Galaxies at Low and High Redshift (G Bicknell); Particle Physics and Cosmology (J Ellis)

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Book SynopsisOne of modern science's most famous and controversial figures, Jerzy Plebanski was an outstanding theoretical physicist and an author of many intriguing discoveries in general relativity and quantum theory. Known for his exceptional analytic talents, explosive character, inexhaustible energy, and bohemian nights with brandy, coffee, and enormous amounts of cigarettes, he was dedicated to both science and art, producing innumerable handwritten articles — resembling monk's calligraphy — as well as a collection of oil paintings.As a collaborator but also an antagonist of Leopold Infeld's (a coauthor of Albert Einstein's), Plebanski is recognized for designing the “heavenly” and “hyper-heavenly” equations, for introducing new variables to describe the gravitational field, for the exact solutions in Einstein's gravity and in quantum theory, for his classification of the tensor of matter, for some outstanding results in nonlinear electrodynamics, and for analyzing general relativity with continuous sources long before Chandrasekhar et al.A tribute to Plebański's contributions and the variety of his interests, this is a unique and wide-ranging collection of invited papers, covering gravity quantization, strings, branes, supersymmetry, ideas on the deformation quantization, and lesser known results on the continuous Baker-Campbell-Hausdorff problem.Table of ContentsHow Black Holes Grow (A Ashtekar); Generalized Symmetries for the sDiff(2) Toda Equation (D Finley & J K Mciver); Differential Equations and Cartan Connections (S Frittelli et al.); Conservation Laws, Constants of the Motion, and Hamiltonians (J Goldberg); Large N Field Theories, String Theory and Gravity (J Maldacena); Yang-Mills Type BRST and co-BRST Algebra for Teleparallelism (E W Mielke & A A Rincon Maggiolo); A Note on the Foundation of Relativistic Mechanics: Covariant Hamiltonian General Relativity (C Rovelli); Einstein's Intuition and the Post-Newtonian Approximation (J Stachel); Deformation Theory and Physics Model Building (D Sternheimer); and other papers.

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Book SynopsisOur Place in the Universe tells the story of our world, formation of the first galaxies and stars formed from great clouds containing the primordial elements made in the first few minutes; birth of stars, their lives and deaths in fiery supernova explosions; formation of the solar system, its planets and many moons; life on Earth, its needs and vicissitudes on land and in the seas; finally exoplanets, planets that surround distant stars. Interspersed in the text are short pieces on some of those who revealed these wonders to us.It is written in a very authoritative and readable form and contains more than 100 color prints of the marvelous galaxies, and nebula that have been taken from space-based and land-based telescopes carried by NASA missions, the European Space Agency, the European Southern Laboratory in Chile and many other sources.Trade Review"It is such a humane and personal approach to presenting scientific results, that it is absolutely unique. If there were more books of this kind we would not have the divide between the sciences and the humanities." Emeritus Professor Joerg Huefner Heidelberg UniversityTable of ContentsA Day without Yesterday; Formation of Galaxies; Birth and Life of Stars; Supernovae: Death and Transfiguration of Stars; Nebulae; Spacetime, Relativity and Superdense Matter; Origins; First Modern Astronomer; Life on Earth; Other Planets and Their Moons; New Worlds.

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Book SynopsisThis unique book offers an original way of thinking about two of the most significant problems confronting modern theoretical physics: the unification of the forces of nature and the evolution of the universe. In bringing out the inadequacies of the prevailing approach to these questions, the author demonstrates the need for more than just a new theory. The meanings of space and time themselves must be radically rethought, which requires a whole new philosophical foundation. To this end, the book turns to the phenomenological writings of Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Martin Heidegger. Their insights into space and time bring the natural world to life in a manner well-suited to the dynamic phenomena of contemporary physics.In aligning continental thought with problems in physics and cosmology, the book makes use of topology. Phenomenological intuitions about space and time are systematically fleshed out via an unconventional and innovative approach to this qualitative branch of mathematics. The author's pioneering work in topological phenomenology is applied to such topics as quantum gravity, cosmogony, symmetry, spin, vorticity, dimension theory, Kaluza-Klein and string theories, fermion-boson interrelatedness, hypernumbers, and the mind-matter interface.Table of ContentsIndividuation and the Quest for Unity; The Obstacle to Unification in Modern Physics; The Phenomenological Challenge to the Classical Formula; Topological Phenomenology; The Dimensional Family of Topological Spinors; Basic Principles of Dimensional Transformation; Waves Carrying Waves: The Co-Evolution of Lifeworlds; The Forces of Nature; Cosmogony, Symmetry, and Phenomenological Intuition; The Self-Evolving Cosmos; The Psychophysics of Cosmogony.

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Book SynopsisAccording to Modern Cosmology, our Universe came from a primordial state 13.7 billion years ago, with no matter and very little energy. In other words, it was almost empty. Where do the stars and galaxies, and everything else in the present universe come from then?This captivating book provides an answer to this question, and explains the observations and evidence behind the assertion of an almost empty primordial universe. Aimed at a general audience, it assumes no prior knowledge of astronomy or physics.The emptiness of the primordial universe is reminiscent of the emptiness in Zen Buddhism. The similarities and differences of these two forms of emptiness are explored.Table of ContentsOut of Emptiness; Sakyamuni Buddha; A Flower and a Smile; Hui Neng; The Platform Sutra; The Universe; Does the Universe Have a Beginning?; Size and Shape of the Universe; Scale Factor and Redshift; The Constituents of the Universe; What Is Matter?; Different Kinds of Energy; Heat and Temperature; The Noisy Universe; A Short History of the Universe; Inflation; Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation; Emergence of Matter; Syntheses of Chemical Elements; Epilogue.

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Book SynopsisIn the last fifteen years, various areas of high energy physics, astrophysics and theoretical physics have converged on the study of cosmology so that any graduate student in these disciplines today needs a reasonably self-contained introduction to the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). This book presents the essential theoretical tools necessary to acquire a modern working knowledge of CMB physics. The style of the book, falling somewhere between a monograph and a set of lecture notes, is pedagogical and the author uses the typical approach of theoretical physics to explain the main problems in detail, touching on the main assumptions and derivations of a fascinating subject.Table of ContentsWhy CMB Physics; Electromagnetic Emission of the Observable Universe; From CMB to the Standard Cosmological Model; Problems with the Standard Cosmological Model (SCM); Beyond the SCM; Essentials of Inflationary Dynamics; Inhomogeneities in FRW Models; The First Lap in CMB Anisotropies; Improved Fluid Description of Pre-Decoupling Physics; Kinetic Hierarchies of Multipole Moments; Early Initial Conditions; Surfing on the Gauges; Interacting Fluids; Spectator Fields; Appendices: The Concept of Distance in Cosmology; Kinetic Description of Hot Plasmas; Scalar Modes of the Geometry; Metric Fluctuations: Gauge Independent Treatment.

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Book SynopsisThis unique book offers an original way of thinking about two of the most significant problems confronting modern theoretical physics: the unification of the forces of nature and the evolution of the universe. In bringing out the inadequacies of the prevailing approach to these questions, the author demonstrates the need for more than just a new theory. The meanings of space and time themselves must be radically rethought, which requires a whole new philosophical foundation. To this end, the book turns to the phenomenological writings of Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Martin Heidegger. Their insights into space and time bring the natural world to life in a manner well-suited to the dynamic phenomena of contemporary physics.In aligning continental thought with problems in physics and cosmology, the book makes use of topology. Phenomenological intuitions about space and time are systematically fleshed out via an unconventional and innovative approach to this qualitative branch of mathematics. The author's pioneering work in topological phenomenology is applied to such topics as quantum gravity, cosmogony, symmetry, spin, vorticity, dimension theory, Kaluza-Klein and string theories, fermion-boson interrelatedness, hypernumbers, and the mind-matter interface.

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Book SynopsisThis volume makes explicit use of the synergy between cosmology and high energy physics, for example, supersymmetry and dark matter, or nucleosynthesis and the baryon-to-photon ratio. In particular the exciting possible connection between the recently discovered Higgs scalar and the scalar field responsible for inflation is explored.The recent great advances in the accuracy of the basic cosmological parameters is exploited in that no free scale parameters such as h appear, rather the basic calculations are done numerically using all sources of energy density simultaneously. Scripts are provided that allow the reader to calculate exact results for the basic parameters. Throughout MATLAB tools such as symbolic math, numerical solutions, plots and 'movies' of the dynamical evolution of systems are used. The GUI package is also shown as an example of the real time manipulation of parameters which is available to the reader.All the MATLAB scripts are made available to the reader to explore examples of the uses of the suite of tools which are available. Indeed, readers should be able to engage in a command line 'dialogue' or go on to edit the scripts and write their own versions.

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Book SynopsisEver since 1911, the Solvay Conferences have shaped modern physics. The format is quite different from other conferences as the emphasis is placed on discussion. The 26th edition held in October 2014 in Brussels and chaired by Roger Blandford continued this tradition and addressed some of the most pressing open questions in the fields of astrophysics and cosmology, gathering many of the leading figures working on a wide variety of profound problems.The proceedings contain the 'rapporteur talks' giving a broad overview with unique insights by distinguished renowned scientists. These lectures cover the five sessions: 'Neutron Stars', 'Black Holes', 'Cosmic Dawn', 'Dark Matter' and 'Cosmic Microwave Background'.In the Solvay tradition, the proceedings also include the prepared comments to the rapporteur talks. The discussions among the participants — expert, yet lively and sometimes contentious — have been edited to retain to retain their flavor and are reproduced in full. The reader is taken on a breathtaking ride through 42 years of extraordinary discovery since astrophysics was last on the Solvay program and 57 years since cosmology was last discussed.Table of ContentsOpening Session; Black Holes; Cosmic Dawn; Dark Matter; Microwave Background; Closing Session;

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Book SynopsisModified gravity models play an important role in contemporary theoretical cosmology. The present book proposes a novel approach to the topic based on techniques from noncommutative geometry, especially the spectral action functional as a gravity model. The book discusses applications to early universe models and slow-roll inflation models, to the problem of cosmic topology, to non-isotropic cosmologies like mixmaster universes and Bianchi IX gravitational instantons, and to multifractal structures in cosmology.Relations between noncommutative and algebro-geometric methods in cosmology is also discussed, including the occurrence of motives, periods, and modular forms in spectral models of gravity.

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Book SynopsisModified gravity models play an important role in contemporary theoretical cosmology. The present book proposes a novel approach to the topic based on techniques from noncommutative geometry, especially the spectral action functional as a gravity model. The book discusses applications to early universe models and slow-roll inflation models, to the problem of cosmic topology, to non-isotropic cosmologies like mixmaster universes and Bianchi IX gravitational instantons, and to multifractal structures in cosmology.Relations between noncommutative and algebro-geometric methods in cosmology is also discussed, including the occurrence of motives, periods, and modular forms in spectral models of gravity.

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Book SynopsisThis book is written from the viewpoint that a deep connection exists between cosmology and particle physics. It presents the results and ideas on both the homogeneous and isotropic Universe at the hot stage of its evolution and in later stages. The main chapters describe in a systematic and pedagogical way established facts and concepts on the early and the present Universe. The comprehensive treatment, hence, serves as a modern introduction to this rapidly developing field of science. To help in reading the chapters without having to constantly consult other texts, essential materials from General Relativity and the theory of elementary particles are collected in the appendices. Various hypotheses dealing with unsolved problems of cosmology, and often alternative to each other, are discussed at a more advanced level. These concern dark matter, dark energy, matter-antimatter asymmetry, etc.Particle physics and cosmology underwent rapid development between the first and the second editions of this book. In the second edition, many chapters and sections have been revised, and numerical values of particle physics and cosmological parameters have been updated.

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Book SynopsisThis book is written from the viewpoint that a deep connection exists between cosmology and particle physics. It presents the results and ideas on both the homogeneous and isotropic Universe at the hot stage of its evolution and in later stages. The main chapters describe in a systematic and pedagogical way established facts and concepts on the early and the present Universe. The comprehensive treatment, hence, serves as a modern introduction to this rapidly developing field of science. To help in reading the chapters without having to constantly consult other texts, essential materials from General Relativity and the theory of elementary particles are collected in the appendices. Various hypotheses dealing with unsolved problems of cosmology, and often alternative to each other, are discussed at a more advanced level. These concern dark matter, dark energy, matter-antimatter asymmetry, etc.Particle physics and cosmology underwent rapid development between the first and the second editions of this book. In the second edition, many chapters and sections have been revised, and numerical values of particle physics and cosmological parameters have been updated.

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Book SynopsisThis book is first of its kind describing a new direction in modeling processes taking place in interplanetary and interstellar space (magnetic fields, plasma, cosmic rays, etc.). This method is based on a special mathematical analysis — fractional calculus. The reader will find in this book clear physical explanation of the fractional approach and will become familiar with basic rules in this calculus and main results obtained in frame of this approach. In spite of its profound subject, the book is not overloaded by mathematical details. It contains many illustrations, rich citation and remains accessible to a wide circle of physicists.This book is addressed to graduate and postgraduate students, young and mature researchers specializing in applications of fractional calculus, astrophysics, solar-terrestrial science and physics of cosmic rays.

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Book SynopsisThis volume contains contributions to the workshop, which was largely focused on the strong coupling gauge theories in search for theories beyond the standard model, particularly, the LHC experiments and lattice studies of conformal fixed point. The main topics include walking technicolor and the role of conformality in view of the 125 GeV Higgs as a light composite Higgs (technidilaton, and other composite Higgs, etc.). Nonperturbative studies like lattice simulations and stringy/holographic approaches are extensively discussed in close relation to the phenomenological studies.After the discovery of 125 GeV Higgs at LHC, the central issue of particle physics is now to reveal the dynamical origin of the Higgs itself. One of the possibilities would be the composite Higgs based on the strong coupling gauge theory in the TeV region, such as the technidilaton predicted in walking technicolor with infrared conformality. The volume contains, among others, many of the latest important reports on walking technicolor and related subjects in the general context of conformality, in a way of direct relevance to the LHC phenomenology as well as the lattice studies. It is very timely to study full theoretical implications in the exciting era when the LHC is vigorously working. This volume is of great importance for that purpose.Speakers of 40 talks (plus posters) include K-I Aoki, Y Aoki, K Bamba, E Bennett, R S Chivukula, H Georgi, A Hasenfratz, D-K Hong, K Itoh, D Elander, G Fleming, H Fukano, Y Iwasaki, M Jarvinen, D Kadoh, S Kim, R Kitano, K-I Kondo, J Kuti, D Lin, N Maru, H Matsufuru, S Matsuzaki, K-I Nagai, C Nonaka, H Ohki, E Pallante, M Rho, E Rinaldi, F Sannino, D Schaich, A Shibata, R E Shrock, E H Simmons, K Tuominen, C H Wong, N Yamada, M J S Yang, and K Yamawaki.

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Book SynopsisPrimordial Cosmology deals with one of the most puzzling and fascinating topics debated in modern physics — the nature of the Big Bang singularity. The authors provide a self-consistent and complete treatment of the very early Universe dynamics, passing through a concise discussion of the Standard Cosmological Model, a precise characterization of the role played by the theory of inflation, up to a detailed analysis of the anisotropic and inhomogeneous cosmological models. The most peculiar feature of this book is its uniqueness in treating advanced topics of quantum cosmology with a well-traced link to more canonical and pedagogical notions of fundamental cosmology.This book traces clearly the backward temporal evolution of the Universe, starting with the Robertson-Walker geometry and ending with the recent results of loop quantum cosmology in view of the Big Bounce. The reader is accompanied in this journey by an initial technical presentation which, thanks to the fundamental tools given earlier in the book, never seems heavy or obscure.Table of ContentsHistorical Picture - From Ancient Cultures to the 20th Century; Fundamental Tools - Einstein Theory and Singularity Theorems; The Structure and Dynamics of the Isotropic Universe; Shortcomings of the Standard Model and Inflationary Theory; Inhomogeneous Quasi-Isotropic Cosmology; Homogeneous Universes - Chaotic Cosmology; Hamiltonian Formulation of the Mixmaster - The Liouville Measure; The Generic Cosmological Solution - Singularity without Symmetries; Quantum Cosmology - From the Wheeler-DeWitt Approach to Loop Quantum Cosmology.

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Book SynopsisThis book addresses some of the baffling questions encountered at the final frontier of space and time related to particle physics and cosmology in the context of recent iconoclastic observations and developments. When particle physics stagnated in the early seventies, a new development emerged — String Theory.For the past 25 years, String Theory, popularly called the “Theory of Everything”, has mesmerized not just scientists, but also the general public. Yet a closer scrutiny today reveals that it is no more than a mathematical marvel. It has neither predicted anything nor has it been anywhere near verification. We are essentially where we were in the early seventies.Another chronic problem that Einstein had abandoned was the unified description of his theory of General Relativity that deals with the Universe at large and Electromagnetism which is to do with particles. Such a description is necessary even if it warrants a radical departure from our time-honoured ideas of space and time. A bright spot has now appeared in Cosmology. Iconoclastic observations in the past years have shown that the Universe is actually accelerating, driven by a mysterious Dark Energy. This book takes the lay reader through these uncharted waters and mind-boggling developments on an unimaginable journey from the ultra small to the farthest stretches conceivable, via such imagination defying concepts as extra dimensions and multiple universes.Table of ContentsThe Lord is Subtle, but Defies Common Sense!; You Can Be Younger than Your Grandson; Time is Running Backwards, Isn't It?; God Does Not Play Dice - or Does He?; On a Collision Course; Law without Law; When the Universe Took a U Turn.

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Book SynopsisAlthough everyone is familiar with the concept of time in everyday life and has probably given thought to the question of how time began, recent scientific developments in this field have not been accessible in a simple understandable form. This book is important as it presents to readers current ideas about the role of time in theoretical cosmology.Recent observational discoveries, especially that the expansion rate of the universe is accelerating, have revolutionized the understanding of the energy content of the universe. This development leads to new possibilities for the beginning and end of cosmological time. This book emphasizes the notion of entropy and describes how it is theoretically possible that the universe may end in a finite time or that time can cycle and never end.Provided here is twenty-first century scientific knowledge, written by one of the world's most eminent theoretical physicists, that will better enable the public to discuss further the fascinating idea of time. It is ideally suited also for young people considering a career in scientific research.Table of ContentsWhy do Many Other Scientists Believe Time Began at a Big Bang?; Smoothness of the Universe; Structure in the Universe; Dark Matter and Energy; Composition of the Universe's Energy; Possible Futures of the Universe; Advantages of Cyclic Cosmology; Summary of Answers to the Questions: Did Time Begin? Will Time End?

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Book SynopsisDark Matter, Neutrinos, and Our Solar System is a unique enterprise that should be viewed as an important contribution to our understanding of dark matter, neutrinos and the solar system. It describes these issues in terms of links, between cosmology, particle and nuclear physics, as well as between cosmology, atmospheric and terrestrial physics. It studies the constituents of dark matter (classified as hot warm and cold) first in terms of their individual structures (baryonic and non-baryonic, massive and non-massive, interacting and non-interacting) and second, in terms of facilities available to detect these structures (large and small). Neutrinos (an important component of dark matter) are treated as a separate entity. A detailed study of these elusive (sub-atomic) particles is done, from the year 1913 when they were found as byproducts of beta decay — until the discovery in 2007 which confirmed that neutrino flavors were not more than three (as speculated by some).The last chapter of the book details the real-time stories about the “regions” that were not explored thus far, for lack of advanced technology. Their untold fascinating stories (which span up to 2010) are illustrated here datewise in full.The book concludes with the latest news that the Large Hadron Collider team at CERN has finally succeeded in producing 7 trillion electronic Volts of energy by creating head-on-collisions of protons and more protons (in search of God-particle). The energy produced was three times more than previous records.Table of ContentsThe Advent of Dark Matter: Galaxies, Clusters, Planet Formation, and Comet Collision; Stars of Poor Visibility and the Methods to Track Them; Models in Cosmology, the Luminosity of a Star, White Dwarfs and Neutron Stars; Black Holes: The Stars with no Shine; Particles We Encounter (A Historical Overview); Dark Matter and Dark Energy (A Peep into the Deep): Some Questions and Answers; Neutrino - The Puzzle and the Power; Detection of Lightest Supersymmetric Particles (LSPs) in Dark Matter, and the Search for WIMPs; The Years 2004 - 2010: A Boom for Planetary Scientists.

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Book SynopsisThis volume tells of the quest for cosmology as seen by some of the finest cosmologists in the world. It starts with “Galaxy Formation from Start to Finish” and ends with “The First Supermassive Black Holes in the Universe,” exploring in between the grand themes of galaxies, the early universe, expansion of the universe, dark matter and dark energy. This up-to-date collection of review articles offers a general introduction to cosmology and is intended for all probing into the profound questions on where we came from and where we are going.Table of ContentsGalaxy Formation: From Start to Finish; The Re-Ionization of Cosmic Hydrogen by the First Galaxies; Reionizing the Universe with the First Sources of Light; The End of Cosmic Dark Ages; An Astrophysical and Cosmological View of Galaxy Clusters; Cosmology with FM Radio Antennae; Neutrinos in Cosmology; Particles as Dark Matter; Detecting Particle Dark Matter; Measuring the Expansion Rate of the Universe; The Accelerating Universe; Understanding Dark Energy; Dark Energy; The Cosmic Web and the Physics of the Intergalactic Medium.

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Book SynopsisThis new book is a thorough but short review of the history and present status of ideas in cosmology. It is aimed at a broad audience, but will contain a few equations where needed to make the argument exact. The coverage of cosmological ideas will focus mainly on the period from the early 1900s when Einstein formulated relativity and when his colleague Sir Arthur Eddington was creating relativistic models of the universe. It ends with the completion of the Large Hadron Collider in late 2008, having surveyed modern ideas of particle physics and astrophysics. To organize the large body of information involved, the book uses the life of Eddington and the weaving together of ideas in cosmology as themes. This should provide a clear and entertaining account presented in a historical context that leads up to the present day.Table of ContentsWeaving the Warp; Puzzles of Physics; The Meaning of Dimensions; Time as an Illusion; The Nature of Matter; Science and Religion: Immiscible?; Weaving the Weft.

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Book SynopsisThis book comprises expository articles on different aspects of gravitation and cosmology that are aimed at graduate students. The topics discussed are of contemporary interest assuming only an elementary introduction to gravitation and cosmology. The presentations are to a certain extent pedagogical in nature, and the material developed is not usually found in sufficient detail in recent textbooks in these areas.Table of ContentsNon-Linear Gravitational Clustering in an Expanding Universe; Dark Ages and Cosmic Reionization; Probing Fundamental Constant Evolution with Redshifted Spectral Lines; Averaging the Inhomogeneous Universe; Probing Cosmic Magnetic Fields with the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation; Quantum Corrections to the Bekenstein-Hawking Entropy; Quantum Measurement and Quantum Gravity: Many Worlds or Collapse of the Wave Function?; Generation and Evolution of Perturbations During Inflation and Reheating; Patterns in Neural Processing.

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Book SynopsisThis book accompanies another book by the same authors, and presents the theory of the evolution of density perturbations and relic gravity waves, theory of cosmological inflation and post-inflationary reheating. Written in a pedagogical style, the main chapters give a detailed account of the established theory, with derivation of formulas. Being self-contained, it is a useful textbook for advanced undergraduate students and graduate students. Essential materials from General Relativity, theory of Gaussian random fields and quantum field theory are collected in the appendices. The more advanced topics are approached similarly in a pedagogical way. These parts may serve as a detailed introduction to current research.Table of ContentsJeans Instability in Newtonian Gravity; Cosmological Perturbations in General Relativity. Equations of Linearized Theory; Evolution of Vector and Tensor Perturbations; Scalar Perturbations: Single-Component Fluids; Primordial Perturbations in Real Universe; Scalar Perturbations Before Recombination; Structure Formation; Beyond Ideal Fluid Approximation; Temperature of Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation; CMB Polarization; Drawbacks of the Hot Big Bang Theory. Inflation as Possible Way Out; Inflation in Slow Roll Regime; Generation of Cosmological Perturbations at Inflation; Further Aspects of Inflationary Theory; Preheating After Inflation; Bouncing Universe.

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Book SynopsisThis book is written from the viewpoint of a deep connection between cosmology and particle physics. It presents the results and ideas on both the homogeneous and isotropic Universe at the hot stage of its evolution and in later stages. The main chapters describe in a systematic and pedagogical way established facts and concepts on the early and the present Universe. The comprehensive treatment, hence, serves as a modern introduction to this rapidly developing field of science. To help in reading the chapters without having to constantly consult other texts, essential materials from General Relativity and the theory of elementary particles are collected in the appendices. Various hypotheses dealing with unsolved problems of cosmology, and often alternative to each other, are discussed at a more advanced level. These concern dark matter, dark energy, matter-antimatter asymmetry, etc.Table of ContentsCosmology: A Preview; Homogeneous Isotropic Universe; Dynamics of Cosmological Expansion; ΛCDM: Cosmological Model with Dark Matter and Dark Energy; Thermodynamics in Expanding Universe; Recombination; Relic Neutrinos; Big Bang Nucleosynthesis; Dark Matter; Phase Transitions in the Early Universe; Generation of Baryon Asymmetry; Topological Defects and Solitons in the Universe.

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Book SynopsisThis book is written from the viewpoint of a deep connection between cosmology and particle physics. It presents the results and ideas on both the homogeneous and isotropic Universe at the hot stage of its evolution and in later stages. The main chapters describe in a systematic and pedagogical way established facts and concepts on the early and the present Universe. The comprehensive treatment, hence, serves as a modern introduction to this rapidly developing field of science. To help in reading the chapters without having to constantly consult other texts, essential materials from General Relativity and the theory of elementary particles are collected in the appendices. Various hypotheses dealing with unsolved problems of cosmology, and often alternative to each other, are discussed at a more advanced level. These concern dark matter, dark energy, matter-antimatter asymmetry, etc.Table of ContentsCosmology: A Preview; Homogeneous Isotropic Universe; Dynamics of Cosmological Expansion; ΛCDM: Cosmological Model with Dark Matter and Dark Energy; Thermodynamics in Expanding Universe; Recombination; Relic Neutrinos; Big Bang Nucleosynthesis; Dark Matter; Phase Transitions in the Early Universe; Generation of Baryon Asymmetry; Topological Defects and Solitons in the Universe.

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Book SynopsisBeginning with the famous Olber's paradox, a number of cosmological paradoxes, such as the missing mass, dark energy, and the baryon-to-photon ratio, have been and are today the subject of many scientific controversies. The Big Bang model, anticipated by Lemaitre in 1927 and reformulated twenty years later by Gamow, Alpher and Herman, is one of the most spectacular successes in the entire history of physics. It remains today surrounded by considerable theoretical speculation without sufficient observational support.This book discusses such paradoxes in depth with physical and logical content and historical perspective, and has not too technical content in order to serve a wide audience.Table of ContentsEnergy Conservation; Non-Conservation Means too Much FreedomA"; The Four Interactions; Matter, Radiation, Particles; Olber's Paradox: The Dark Night Sky; General Relativity and Cosmology; The Friedmann-Lemaitre Solutions; The Role of Radiation Pressure; The Einstein-Lemaitre Correspondence; The Accelerating Universe Paradox; The Missing Mass and Dark Energy Paradoxes; The Photon-to-Baryon Ratio Paradox; The Universe is Finite, Open and Contingent; The Very Early Universe: Indeterminacy or Uncertainty?; Singular Moments in Cosmic History; A Brief Outline: World Events and Cosmological Discoveries.

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Book SynopsisBeginning with the famous Olber's paradox, a number of cosmological paradoxes, such as the missing mass, dark energy, and the baryon-to-photon ratio, have been and are today the subject of many scientific controversies. The Big Bang model, anticipated by Lemaitre in 1927 and reformulated twenty years later by Gamow, Alpher and Herman, is one of the most spectacular successes in the entire history of physics. It remains today surrounded by considerable theoretical speculation without sufficient observational support.This book discusses such paradoxes in depth with physical and logical content and historical perspective, and has not too technical content in order to serve a wide audience.Table of ContentsEnergy Conservation; Non-Conservation Means too Much FreedomA"; The Four Interactions; Matter, Radiation, Particles; Olber's Paradox: The Dark Night Sky; General Relativity and Cosmology; The Friedmann-Lemaitre Solutions; The Role of Radiation Pressure; The Einstein-Lemaitre Correspondence; The Accelerating Universe Paradox; The Missing Mass and Dark Energy Paradoxes; The Photon-to-Baryon Ratio Paradox; The Universe is Finite, Open and Contingent; The Very Early Universe: Indeterminacy or Uncertainty?; Singular Moments in Cosmic History; A Brief Outline: World Events and Cosmological Discoveries.

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Book SynopsisThe Big Bang, the birth of the universe, was a singular event. All of the matter of the universe was concentrated at a single point, with temperatures so high that even the familiar protons and neutrons of atoms did not yet exist, but rather were replaced by a swirling maelstrom of energy, matter and antimatter. Exotic quarks and leptons flickered briefly into existence, before merging back into the energy sea.This book explains the fascinating world of quarks and leptons and the forces that govern their behavior. Told from an experimental physicist's perspective, it forgoes mathematical complexity, using instead particularly accessible figures and apt analogies. In addition to the story of quarks and leptons, which are regarded as well-accepted fact, the author (who is a leading researcher at one of the world's highest energy particle physics laboratories) also discusses mysteries at both the experimental and theoretical frontiers, before tying it all together with the exciting field of cosmology and indeed the birth of the universe itself.The text spans the tiny world of the quark to the depths of the universe with breathtaking clarity. The casual student of science will appreciate the careful distinction between what is known (quarks, leptons and antimatter), what is suspected (Higgs bosons, neutrino oscillations and the reason why the universe has so little antimatter) and what is merely dreamed (supersymmetry, superstrings and extra dimensions). Included is an unprecedented chapter explaining the accelerators and detectors of modern particle physics experiments. The chapter discussing the hunt for the Higgs boson — currently consuming the efforts of nearly 6000 physicists — reveals drama that only big-stakes science can give. Understanding the Universe leaves the reader with a deep appreciation of the fascinating particle realm and reverence for just how much it determines the rich beauty of our universe.Since the release of the first edition, the landscape has changed. The venerable Fermilab Tevatron has ceased operations after a quarter century of extraordinary performance, to be replaced by the CERN Large Hadron Collider, an accelerator with a design energy of seven times greater than the Tevatron and a collision rate of nearly a billion collisions per second. The next few years promise to be very exciting as scientists explore this new realm. This revised edition of Understanding the Universe will leave the reader with a deep appreciation of just why physicists are so excited.Table of ContentsEarly History; The Path to Knowledge (History of Particle Physics); Quarks and Leptons; Forces: What Holds It All Together; Hunting for the Higgs; Accelerators and Detectors: Tools of the Trade; Near Term Mysteries; Exotic Physics (The Next Frontier); Recreating the Universe 10,000,000 Times a Second; Epilogue: Why Do We Do It?.

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Book SynopsisThe Big Bang, the birth of the universe, was a singular event. All of the matter of the universe was concentrated at a single point, with temperatures so high that even the familiar protons and neutrons of atoms did not yet exist, but rather were replaced by a swirling maelstrom of energy, matter and antimatter. Exotic quarks and leptons flickered briefly into existence, before merging back into the energy sea.This book explains the fascinating world of quarks and leptons and the forces that govern their behavior. Told from an experimental physicist's perspective, it forgoes mathematical complexity, using instead particularly accessible figures and apt analogies. In addition to the story of quarks and leptons, which are regarded as well-accepted fact, the author (who is a leading researcher at one of the world's highest energy particle physics laboratories) also discusses mysteries at both the experimental and theoretical frontiers, before tying it all together with the exciting field of cosmology and indeed the birth of the universe itself.The text spans the tiny world of the quark to the depths of the universe with breathtaking clarity. The casual student of science will appreciate the careful distinction between what is known (quarks, leptons and antimatter), what is suspected (Higgs bosons, neutrino oscillations and the reason why the universe has so little antimatter) and what is merely dreamed (supersymmetry, superstrings and extra dimensions). Included is an unprecedented chapter explaining the accelerators and detectors of modern particle physics experiments. The chapter discussing the hunt for the Higgs boson — currently consuming the efforts of nearly 6000 physicists — reveals drama that only big-stakes science can give. Understanding the Universe leaves the reader with a deep appreciation of the fascinating particle realm and reverence for just how much it determines the rich beauty of our universe.Since the release of the first edition, the landscape has changed. The venerable Fermilab Tevatron has ceased operations after a quarter century of extraordinary performance, to be replaced by the CERN Large Hadron Collider, an accelerator with a design energy of seven times greater than the Tevatron and a collision rate of nearly a billion collisions per second. The next few years promise to be very exciting as scientists explore this new realm. This revised edition of Understanding the Universe will leave the reader with a deep appreciation of just why physicists are so excited.Table of ContentsEarly History; The Path to Knowledge (History of Particle Physics); Quarks and Leptons; Forces: What Holds It All Together; Hunting for the Higgs; Accelerators and Detectors: Tools of the Trade; Near Term Mysteries; Exotic Physics (The Next Frontier); Recreating the Universe 10,000,000 Times a Second; Epilogue: Why Do We Do It?.

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Book SynopsisQuantum cosmology has gradually emerged as the focus of devoted research, mostly within the second half of last century. As we entered the 21st century, the subject is still very much alive. The outcome of results and templates for investigation have been enlarged, some very recent and fascinating. Hence this book, where the authors bequeath some of their views, as they believe this current century is the one where quantum cosmology will be fully accomplished.Though some aspects are not discussed (namely, supersymmetry or loop structures), there are perhaps a set of challenges that in the authors' opinion remain, some since the dawn of quantum mechanics and applications to cosmology. Others could have been selected, at the readers' discretion and opinion. The authors put herewith a chart and directions to explore, some of which they have worked on or aimed to work more, in the twilight of their current efforts. Their confidence is that someone will follow in their trails, venturing in discovering the proper answer, by being able to formulate the right questions beforehand. The authors' shared foresight is that such discoveries, from those formulations, will be attained upon endorsing the routes within the challenges herewith indicated.Table of ContentsStanding Point: Introduction Point; A Reader's Digest; Routes: Degeneracy of Solutions; Landscape and Selection Rules; Singularity Avoidance; Observational Issues; Wheeler - deWitt Equation and Hilbert Space Structure; Chaos and Integrability; Elements from Strings and Loops; Other Routes; Appendices: Hamiltonian Formulation; Superspace Quantization; Semi-Classical Gravity; Minisuperspace; Boundary Conditions; 'Predictions' from Quantum Cosmology.

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