After the First Three Minutes: The Story of Our Universe

by T. Padmanabhan

• ISBN13: 9780521620390
• ISBN10: 0521620392
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1998-02-13
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

How does our Universe evolve? And how did structures like stars and galaxies form? In recent years, scientists' understanding of these profound questions has developed enormously. This book presents a clear and detailed picture of contemporary cosmology for the general reader. Unlike existing popular books on cosmology, After the First Three Minutes does not gloss over details, nor shy away from explaining the underlying concepts. Instead, with a lucid and informal style, the author introduces all the relevant background and then carefully pieces together an engaging story of the evolution of our Universe. We are left with a state-of-the-art picture of scientists' current understanding in cosmology, and a keen taste of the excitement of this fast-moving science. Throughout, no mathematics is used; and all technical jargon is clearly introduced and reinforced in a handy glossary at the end of the book. For general readers who want to get to grips with what we really do and don't know about our Universe, this book provides an exciting and uncompromising read.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
1 Introducing the universe	1	(7)
1.1 Cosmic inventory	1	(5)
1.2 The great questions	6	(2)
2 Matter, radiation and forces	8	(38)
2.1 A microscopic tour	8	(12)
2.2 Forces of nature	20	(5)
2.3 Building blocks of matter	25	(5)
2.4 Radiation: packets of light	30	(4)
2.5 Interaction of matter and light	34	(12)
3 Observing the universe	46	(19)
3.1 The cosmic rainbow	46	(4)
3.2 Seeing is believing	50	(3)
3.3 Heat in the sky	53	(3)
3.4 Music of the heavens	56	(2)
3.5 The cosmic tan	58	(2)
3.6 X-raying the universe	60	(2)
3.7 Gamma-ray astronomy	62	(3)
4 Getting to know the universe	65	(31)
4.1 Stars: Nature's nuclear plants	65	(4)
4.2 Story of a star	69	(3)
4.3 Supernovae: the violent end	72	(2)
4.4 Neutron stars and pulsars	74	(2)
4.5 Black holes	76	(3)
4.6 Galaxies	79	(8)
4.7 The Milky Way-our home	87	(4)
4.8 Groups and clusters of galaxies	91	(5)
5 The expanding universe	96	(30)
5.1 Expansion of the universe	96	(6)
5.2 The universe has a past!	102	(8)
5.3 Dark matter: weight without light	110	(5)
5.4 The very early universe	115	(6)
5.5 The quantum universe: science of genesis	121	(5)
6 Forming the galaxies	126	(45)
6.1 Gravitational instability	126	(4)
6.2 Testing the paradigm	130	(2)
6.3 Density contrast: the ups and downs	132	(3)
6.4 Dark matter and normal matter	135	(5)
6.5 Dark matter in two flavours: hot and cold	140	(6)
6.6 Why hot dark matter does not work	146	(3)
6.7 Scenarios with cold dark matter	149	(3)
6.8 COBE: first glimpse of the truth	152	(4)
6.9 Desperate models	156	(4)
6.10 The gamut of observations	160	(5)
6.11 The first structures	165	(6)
7 The universe at high redshift	171	(21)
7.1 Probing the past	171	(2)
7.2 Quasars: the enigmatic machines	173	(2)
7.3 Radio galaxies and active galactic nuclei	175	(4)
7.4 Quasar spectra and the intergalactic medium	179	(6)
7.5 High redshift objects and structure formation	185	(2)
7.6 Gravitational lensing	187	(5)
8 Open questions	192	(12)
8.1 The broad picture	192	(6)
8.2 A critique of structure formation	198	(6)
Glossary	204	(7)
Further reading	211	(2)
Index	213