Introduction to General Relativity and the Cosmological Constant Problem

Introduction to General Relativity and the Cosmological Constant Problem

Author: Marcelo Samuel Berman

Publisher: Nova Publishers

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 232

ISBN-13: 9781594547171

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book is an introductory text in General Relativity, while also focusing some solutions to the cosmological constant problem, which consists in an amazing 100 orders of magnitude discrepancy between the value of this constant in the present Universe, and its estimated value in the very early epoch. The author suggests that the constant is in fact, a time-varying function of the age of the Universe. The book offers a wealth of cosmological models, treats up to date findings, like the verification of the Lense-Thirring effect in the year 2004, and the recently published research by Cooperstock and Tieu (2005) suggesting that "dark" matter is not a necessary concept in order to explain the rotational velocities of stars around galaxies' nuclei. This is a mathematical cosmology textbook that may lead undergraduates, and graduate students to one of the frontiers of research, while keeping the prerequisites to a minimum, because most of the theory in the book requires only prior knowledge of Calculus and a University Physics course.


The Constants of Nature

The Constants of Nature

Author: John Barrow

Publisher: Vintage

Published: 2009-05-06

Total Pages: 370

ISBN-13: 0307555356

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Reality as we know it is bound by a set of constants—numbers and values that dictate the strengths of forces like gravity, the speed of light, and the masses of elementary particles. In The Constants of Nature, Cambridge Professor and bestselling author John D.Barrow takes us on an exploration of these governing principles. Drawing on physicists such as Einstein and Planck, Barrow illustrates with stunning clarity our dependence on the steadfastness of these principles. But he also suggests that the basic forces may have been radically different during the universe’s infancy, and suggests that they may continue a deeply hidden evolution. Perhaps most tantalizingly, Barrow theorizes about the realities that might one day be found in a universe with different parameters than our own.


The Cosmology of Extra Dimensions and Varying Fundamental Constants

The Cosmology of Extra Dimensions and Varying Fundamental Constants

Author: Carlos Martins

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-04-17

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 9401732728

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The workshop on The Cosmology of Extra Dimensions and Varying Fundamental Constants, which was part of JENAM 2002, was held at the Physics Department of the University of Porto (FCUP) from the 3rd to the 5th of September 2002. It was regularly attended by about 110 participants, of which 65 were officially registered in the VFC workshop, while the others came from the rest of the JENAM workshops. There were also a few science correspondents from the national and international press. During the 3 days of the scientific programme, 8 Invited Reviews and 30 Oral Communications were presented. The speakers came from 11 different European countries, and also from Argentina, Australia, Canada, Japan and the U.S.A. There were also speakers from six Portuguese research institutions, and nine of the speak ers were Ph.D. students. The contributions are presented in these proceedings in chronological order. The workshop brought together string theorists, particle physicists, theoretical and observational cosmologists, relativists and observational astrophysicists. It was generally agreed that this inter-disciplinarity was the greatest strength of the work shop, since it provided people coming into this very recent topic from the various different backgrounds with an opportunity to understand each other's language and thereby gain a more solid understanding of the overall picture.


Cosmological Parameters and the Evolution of the Universe

Cosmological Parameters and the Evolution of the Universe

Author: Katsuhiko Sato

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 1999-01-31

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 9780792354598

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

How old is our Universe? At what speed is our Universe expanding? Is our universe flat or curved? How is the hierarchical structure of the present Universe formed? The purpose of IAU Symposium 183 on the Cosmological Parameters and the Evolution of the Universe was to encourage a state-of-the-art discussion and assessment of cosmology by putting together the latest observational data and theoretical ideas on the evolution of the universe and cosmological parameters. In this volume, excellent reviews on these subjects by distinguished scientists are included. The first article by M.S. Longair, `Cosmological Parameters and the Evolution of the Universe: Progress and Prospect', is a magnificent general review which can be understood by non-specialists. The other reviews include Hubble Constants (W.L. Freedman, G.A. Tammann), Microwave Background Radiation (R.B. Partridge, N. Sugiyama), Galaxy Formation and Evolution (R.S. Ellis) and Alternative Cosmological Models (J.V. Narlikar). In addition to the reviews, recent observational and theoretical developments by outstanding active scientists are included.


Euclidean Quantum Gravity

Euclidean Quantum Gravity

Author: G. W. Gibbons

Publisher: World Scientific

Published: 1993

Total Pages: 604

ISBN-13: 9789810205164

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Euclidean approach to Quantum Gravity was initiated almost 15 years ago in an attempt to understand the difficulties raised by the spacetime singularities of classical general relativity which arise in the gravitational collapse of stars to form black holes and the entire universe in the Big Bang. An important motivation was to develop an approach capable of dealing with the nonlinear, non-perturbative aspects of quantum gravity due to topologically non-trivial spacetimes. There are important links with a Riemannian geometry. Since its inception the theory has been applied to a number of important physical problems including the thermodynamic properties of black holes, quantum cosmology and the problem of the cosmological constant. It is currently at the centre of a great deal of interest.This is a collection of survey lectures and reprints of some important lectures on the Euclidean approach to quantum gravity in which one expresses the Feynman path integral as a sum over Riemannian metrics. As well as papers on the basic formalism there are sections on Black Holes, Quantum Cosmology, Wormholes and Gravitational Instantons.


Physical Foundations of Cosmology

Physical Foundations of Cosmology

Author: Viatcheslav Mukhanov

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2005-11-10

Total Pages: 454

ISBN-13: 1139447114

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Inflationary cosmology has been developed over the last twenty years to remedy serious shortcomings in the standard hot big bang model of the universe. This textbook, first published in 2005, explains the basis of modern cosmology and shows where the theoretical results come from. The book is divided into two parts; the first deals with the homogeneous and isotropic model of the Universe, the second part discusses how inhomogeneities can explain its structure. Established material such as the inflation and quantum cosmological perturbation are presented in great detail, however the reader is brought to the frontiers of current cosmological research by the discussion of more speculative ideas. An ideal textbook for both advanced students of physics and astrophysics, all of the necessary background material is included in every chapter and no prior knowledge of general relativity and quantum field theory is assumed.


The Fundamental Constants

The Fundamental Constants

Author: Harald Fritzsch

Publisher: World Scientific

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 214

ISBN-13: 981283432X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The speed of light, the fine structure constant, and Newton's constant of gravity ? these are just three among the many physical constants that define our picture of the world. Where do they come from? Are they constant in time and across space? In this book, physicist and author Harald Fritzsch invites the reader to explore the mystery of the fundamental constants of physics in the company of Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, and a modern-day physicist. The conversation that the three scientists are imagined to have provides an entertaining introduction to the constants and covers topics ranging from atomic, nuclear, and particle physics to astrophysics and cosmology.