Related papers: The violent Universe: the Big Bang
Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) and the Cosmic Background Radiation (CBR) provide complementary probes of the early evolution of the Universe and of its particle content. Neutrinos play important roles in both cases, influencing the…
These lectures summarize our basic understanding of the emergence of cosmic structures, the epoch of first light, the survival of early substructure in present-day galaxy halos.
These lecture notes intend to form a short pedagogical introduction to inflationary cosmology, highlighting selected areas of recent progress such as reheating and the theory of cosmological perturbations. Problems of principle for…
A brief review of the present-day development of cosmology is presented for mixed physical audience. The universe history is briefly described. Unsolved problems are discussed, in particular, the mystery of the cosmological constant and…
This Resource Letter provides a guide to the literature on the observations of supernovae and the theory of their explosion mechanisms. Journal articles and books are cited for the following topics: observations of the spectra,…
These lecture notes cover some of the theoretical topics associated with cosmic acceleration. Plausible explanations to cosmic acceleration include dark energy, modified gravity and a violation of the Copernican principle. Each of these…
These lectures cover the basics of inflationary models for the early universe, concentrating particularly on the generation of density fluctuations from scalar-field dynamics. The subsequent gravitational dynamics of these fluctuations in…
In this talk I discuss several topics at the interface of particle physics and astrophysics/cosmology. These include the problem of dark matter and two popular dark matter candidates: axions and neutralinos. I also discuss briefly some…
Contents: Some Fundamental definitions; Bremsstrahlung and black body; Beaming; Synchrotron emission and absorption; Compton scattering; Synchrotron Self-Compton; Pairs; Active Galactic Nuclei.
Cosmic explosions called $\gamma$-ray bursts are the most energetic bursting events in the universe. Observations of extremely high-energy emission from two $\gamma$-ray bursts provide a new way to study these gigantic explosions.
These lectures aim to highlight the remarkable symbiosis that currently exists between the physics of the very small and the physics of the very large, using the unsolved puzzle of the nature of Dark Energy as a vehicle for so doing. The…
Over the past three years we have determined the basic features of the Universe -- spatially flat; accelerating; comprised of 1/3 a new form of matter, 2/3 a new form of energy, with some ordinary matter and a dash of massive neutrinos; and…
In this article we review the theory of cosmological inflation with a particular focus on the beautiful connection it provides between the physics of the very small and observations of the very large. We explain how quantum mechanical…
I review the current status of neutrino astrophysics, including solar neutrinos; atmospheric neutrinos; neutrino mass and oscillations; supernova neutrinos; neutrino nucleosynthesis (Big Bang nucleosynthesis, the neutrino process, the…
For two decades the hot big-bang model as been referred to as the standard cosmology -- and for good reason. For just as long cosmologists have known that there are fundamental questions that are not answered by the standard cosmology and…
Over the past decades, advancements in observational cosmology have introduced us in an era of precision cosmology, dramatically enhancing our understanding of the Universe's history as well as bringing new tensions to light. Observations…
Over the past three years we have determined the basic features of our Universe. It is spatially flat; accelerating; comprised of 1/3 a new form of matter, 2/3 a new form of energy, with some ordinary matter and a dash of massive neutrinos;…
I discuss some of the most outstanding challenges in relativistic astrophysics in the subjects of: compact objects (Black Holes and Neutron Stars); dark sector (Dark Matter and Dark Energy); plasma astrophysics (Origin of Jets, Cosmic Rays…
In a series of five lectures I review inflationary cosmology. I begin with a description of the initial conditions problems of the Friedmann-Robertson-Walker (FRW) cosmology and then explain how inflation, an early period of accelerated…
The synthesis of nuclei in diverse cosmic scenarios is reviewed, with a summary of the basic concepts involved before a discussion of the current status in each case is made. We review the physics of the early universe, the proton to…