Cosmology’s Century : An Inside History of Our Modern Understanding of the Universe

From Nobel Prize-winning physicist P. J. E. Peebles, the story of cosmology from Einstein to today. Modern cosmology began a century ago with Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity and his notion of a homogenous, philosophically satisfying cosmos. Cosmology's Century is the story of how generations of scientists built on these thoughts and many new measurements to arrive at a well-tested physical theory of the structure and evolution of our expanding universe. In this landmark book, one of the world's most esteemed theoretical cosmologists offers an unparalleled personal perspective on how the field developed. P. J. E. Peebles was at the forefront of many of the greatest discoveries of the past century, making fundamental contributions to our understanding of the presence of helium and microwave radiation from the hot big bang, the measures of the distribution and motion of ordinary matter, and the new kind of dark matter that allows us to make sense of these results. Taking readers from the field's beginnings, Peebles describes how scientists working in independent directions found themselves converging on a theory of cosmic evolution interesting enough to warrant the rigorous testing it passes so well. He explores the major advances--some inspired by remarkable insights or perhaps just lucky guesses--as well as the wrong turns taken and the roads not explored. He shares recollections from major players in this story and provides a rare, inside look at how natural science is really done. A monumental work, Cosmology's Century also emphasizes where the present theory is incomplete, suggesting exciting directions for continuing research. Cover Title Page Copyright Dedication Contents Preface and Acknowledgments 1. Introduction 1.1 The Science and Philosophy of Cosmology 1.2 An Overview 2. The Homogeneous Universe 2.1 Einstein’s Cosmological Principle 2.2 Early Evidence of Inhomogeneity 2.3 Early Evidence of Homogeneity: Isotropy 2.4 Early Evidence of Homogeneity: Counts and Redshifts 2.5 The Universe as a Stationary Random Process 2.6 A Fractal Universe 2.7 Concluding Remarks 3. Cosmological Models 3.1 Discovery of the Relativistic Expanding Universe 3.2 The Relativistic Big Bang Cosmology 3.3 The Steady-State Cosmology 3.4 Empirical Assessments of the Steady-State Cosmology 3.5 Nonempirical Assessments of the Big Bang Model 3.6 Empirical Assessments of the Big Bang Model 3.7 Concluding Remarks 4. Fossils: Microwave Radiation and Light Elements 4.1 Thermal Radiation in an Expanding Universe 4.2 Gamow’s Scenario 4.3 Helium and Deuterium from the Hot Big Bang 4.4 Sources of Microwave Radiation 4.5 Measuring the CMB Intensity Spectrum 4.6 Nucleosynthesis and the Baryon Mass Density 4.7 Why Was the Hot Big Bang Cosmology Reinvented? 5. How Cosmic Structure Grew 5.1 The Gravitational Instability Picture 5.2 Scenarios 5.3 Concluding Remarks 6. Subluminal Mass 6.1 Clusters of Galaxies 6.2 Groups of Galaxies 6.3 Galaxy Rotation Curves 6.4 Stabilizing Spiral Galaxies 6.5 Recognizing Subluminal Matter 6.6 What Is the Nature of the Subluminal Matter? 7. Nonbaryonic Dark Matter 7.1 Hot Dark Matter 7.2 Cold Dark Matter 8. The Age of Abundance of Cosmological Models 8.1 Why Is the CMB So Smooth? 8.2 The Counterexample: CDM 8.3 CDM and Structure Formation 8.4 Variations on the Theme 8.5 How Might It All Fit Together? 9. The 1998–2003 Revolution 9.1 The Redshift-Magnitude Test 9.2 The CMB Temperature Anisotropy 9.3 What Happened at the Turn of the Century 9.4 The Future of Physical Cosmology 10. The Ways of Research 10.1 Technology 10.2 Human Behavior 10.3 Roads Not Taken 10.4 The Social Construction of Science References Index Пустая страница Пустая страница "From Nobel Prize-winning physicist P.J.E. Peebles, the story of cosmology from Einstein to today. Modern cosmology began a century ago with Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity and his notion of a homogenous, philosophically satisfying cosmos. Cosmology's Century is the story of how generations of scientists built on these thoughts and many new measurements to arrive at a well-tested physical theory of the structure and evolution of our expanding universe. In this landmark book, one of the world's most esteemed theoretical cosmologists offers an unparalleled personal perspective on how the field developed. P.J.E. Peebles was at the forefront of many of the greatest discoveries of the past century, making fundamental contributions to our understanding of the presence of helium and microwave radiation from the hot big bang, the measures of the distribution and motion of ordinary matter, and the new kind of dark matter that allows us to make sense of these results. Taking readers from the field's beginnings, Peebles describes how scientists working in independent directions found themselves converging on a theory of cosmic evolution interesting enough to warrant the rigorous testing it passes so well. He explores the major advances--some inspired by remarkable insights or perhaps just lucky guesses--as well as the wrong turns taken and the roads not explored. He shares recollections from major players in this story and provides a rare, inside look at how natural science is really done. A monumental work, Cosmology's Century also emphasizes where the present theory is incomplete, suggesting exciting directions for continuing research"--Amazon Modern cosmology began a century ago with Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity and his notion of a homogenous, philosophically satisfying cosmos. This book is the story of how generations of scientists built on these thoughts and many new measurements to arrive at a well-tested physical theory of the structure and evolution of our expanding universe. This book offers an unparalleled personal perspective on how the field developed. The author was at the forefront of many of the greatest discoveries of the past century, making fundamental contributions to our understanding of the presence of helium and microwave radiation from the hot big bang, the measures of the distribution and motion of ordinary matter, and the new kind of dark matter that allows us to make sense of these results. Taking readers from the field's beginnings, the book describes how scientists working in independent directions found themselves converging on a theory of cosmic evolution interesting enough to warrant the rigorous testing it passes so well. The book explores the major advances—some inspired by remarkable insights or perhaps just lucky guesses—as well as the wrong turns taken and the roads not explored. It shares recollections from major players in this story and provides a rare, inside look at how natural science is really done. The book also emphasizes where the present theory is incomplete, suggesting exciting directions for continuing research.