Measuring and Modeling the Universe

by Edited by Wendy L. Freedman

• ISBN13: 9780521755764
• ISBN10: 052175576X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-11-04
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

We have just concluded a remarkable century: the 1917 publication of Einstein’s general theory of relativity, Carnegie astronomer Edwin Hubble’s 1929 discovery of the expansion of the universe, evidence for the existence of dark matter, and the discovery of a mysterious dark energy, which is causing the universe to speed up its expansion. This comprehensive volume reviews the current theory and measurement of various parameters related to the evolution of the universe. Topics include inflation, string theory, the history of cosmology in the context of current measurements being made of the Hubble constant, the matter density, and dark energy, including observational results from the Sloan, Digital Sky Survey, Keck, Magellan, cosmic microwave background experiments, Hubble space telescope and Chandra. With chapters by leading authorities in the field, this book is a valuable resource for graduate students and professional research astronomers.

Table of Contents

1. A brief history of cosmology Malcolm S. Longair

2. Edwin Hubble: a biographical retrospective Gale E. Christianson

3. Inflation Alan H. Guth

4. Update on string theory John H. Schwarz

5. Dark matter theory Joseph Silk

6. Status of cosmology on the occasion of the Carnegie Centennial Wendy L. Freedman and Michael S. Turner

7. The extragalactic distance scale Joseph B. Jensen, John L. Tonry and John P. Blakeslee

8. The Hubble constant from gravitational lens time delays Christopher S. Kochanek and Paul L. Schechter

9. Measuring the Hubble constant with the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect Erik D. Reese

10. How much is there of what? Measuring the mass density of the universe Virginia Trimble

11. Big bang nucleosynthesis: probing the first 20 minutes Gary Steigman

12. Cosmological results from the 2dF galaxy redshift survey Matthew Colless

13. Large-scale structure in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Mariangela Bernardi

14. LIGO at the threshold of science operations Albert Lazzarini

15. Why is the universe accelerating? Sean M. Carroll

16. Cosmology and life Mario Livio

17. Evidence from type la supernova for an accelerating universe and dark energy Alexei V. Filippenko

18. Theoretical overview of cosmic microwave background anisotropy Edward Wright

19. The polarization of the cosmic microwave background Matias Zaldarriaga

20. The Wilkinson microwave anisotropy probe Lyman A. Page

21. Interference observations of the cosmic microwave background radiation Anthony C. S. Readhead and Timothy J. Pearson

22. Conference summary: observational cosmology Sandra M. Faber

23. Measuring and modeling the universe: a theoretical perspective Roger D. Blandford.