Cosmological Physics

A comprehensive and authoritative introduction to contemporary cosmology for advanced undergraduate and graduate students.

J. A. Peacock (Author)

9780521422703, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 28 December 1998

696 pages, 91 b/w illus. 7 tables 97 exercises
24.6 x 17.5 x 3.3 cm, 1.38 kg

'… the material is so well organized, illustrated, and written that the whole is much more than the sum of the parts. The end product is a truly remarkable achievement. It is accessible to undergraduate physics students yet contains a very great deal of interest to the experienced researcher. It covers a vast territory yet does not shirk on detail. It is immensely authoritative, yet readable throughout. No serious student, researcher, or senior academic working in this area can afford to be without this book. And it's very good value for money, particularly in paperback.' Peter Coles, The Observatory

This textbook provides advanced undergraduate and graduate students with a complete introduction to modern cosmology. It successfully bridges the gap between undergraduate and advanced graduate texts by discussing topics of current research, starting from first principles. Throughout this authoritative volume, emphasis is given to the simplest, most intuitive explanation for key equations used by researchers. The first third of the book carefully develops the necessary background in general relativity and quantum fields. The rest of the book then provides self-contained accounts of all the key topics in contemporary cosmology, including inflation, topological defects, gravitational lensing, galaxy formation, large-scale structure and the distance scale. To aid understanding, the book is well illustrated with helpful figures and includes outline solutions to nearly 100 problems. All necessary astronomical jargon is clearly explained, ensuring the book is self-contained for any student with undergraduate physics.

Part I. Gravitation and Relativity: 1. Essentials of general relativity
2. Astrophysical relativity
Part II. Classical Cosmology: 3. The isotropic universe
4. Gravitational lensing
5. The age and distance scales
Part III. Basics of Quantum Fields: 6. Quantum mechanics and relativity
7. Quantum field theory
8. The standard model and beyond
Part IV. The Early Universe: 9. The hot big bang
10. Topological defects
11. Inflationary cosmology
Part V. Observational Cosmology: 12. Matter in the universe
13. Galaxies and their evolution
14. Active galaxies
15. Dynamics of structure formation
16. Cosmological density fields
17. Galaxy formation
18. Cosmic background fluctuations
Hints for solutions to the problems
Bibliography and references
Useful numbers and formulae
Index.

Subject Areas: Astrophysics [PHVB], Cosmology & the universe [PGK]