Relativistic Cosmology

Surveying key developments and open issues in cosmology for graduate students and researchers.

George F. R. Ellis (Author), Roy Maartens (Author), Malcolm A. H. MacCallum (Author)

9780521381154, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 22 March 2012

634 pages, 68 b/w illus.
25.3 x 1.5 x 3.2 cm, 1.93 kg

"… a book that makes the mathematical and theoretical aspects of relativistic cosmology accessible to the interested reader, but also a book that bridges the divide between the fields of theory and observation in modern cosmology … I found this book to be a clear and concise summary of the many different aspects of relativistic cosmology … it will certainly be a valuable tool for graduate students and researchers alike. I will be recommending it as reading material for my own PhD students, and suspect that I will be frequently returning to it myself as reference material. It is a valuable contribution to the subject."
Timothy Clifton, General Relativity and Gravitation

Cosmology has been transformed by dramatic progress in high-precision observations and theoretical modelling. This book surveys key developments and open issues for graduate students and researchers. Using a relativistic geometric approach, it focuses on the general concepts and relations that underpin the standard model of the Universe. Part I covers foundations of relativistic cosmology whilst Part II develops the dynamical and observational relations for all models of the Universe based on general relativity. Part III focuses on the standard model of cosmology, including inflation, dark matter, dark energy, perturbation theory, the cosmic microwave background, structure formation and gravitational lensing. It also examines modified gravity and inhomogeneity as possible alternatives to dark energy. Anisotropic and inhomogeneous models are described in Part IV, and Part V reviews deeper issues, such as quantum cosmology, the start of the universe and the multiverse proposal. Colour versions of some figures are available at www.cambridge.org/9780521381154.

Part I. Foundations: 1. The nature of cosmology
2. Geometry
3. Classical physics and gravity
Part II. Relativistic Cosmological Models: 4. Kinematics of cosmological models
5. Matter in the Universe
6. Dynamics of cosmological models
7. Observations in cosmological models
8. Light-cone approach to relativistic cosmology
Part III. The Standard Model and Extensions: 9. Homogeneous FLRW universes
10. Perturbations of FLRW universes
11. The cosmic background radiation
12. Structure formation and gravitational lensing
13. Confronting the Standard Model with observations
14. Acceleration from dark energy or modified gravity
15. 'Acceleration' from large scale inhomogeneity?
16. 'Acceleration' from small scale inhomogeneity?
Part IV. Anisotropic and Inhomogeneous Models: 17. The space of cosmological models
18. Spatially homogeneous anisotropic models
19. Inhomogeneous models
Part V. Broader Perspective: 20. Quantum gravity and the start of the Universe
21. Cosmology in a larger setting
22. Conclusion: our picture of the Universe
Appendix
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Physics [PH], Mathematics & science [P]