Description
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.
