The Accelerating Universe: Infinite Expansion, the Cosmological Constant, and the Beauty of the Cosmos (Wiley Popular Science)

In one of the most surprising and important findings in cosmology in the century, astronomers recently discovered that the unierse may be expanding at an ever-increasing rate. This discovery of an "accelerating universe" stunned many cosmologists because it directly contradicts their most deeply held beliefs about the evolution and fate of the universe. The discovery has therefore ignited a new revolution in cosmology in which scientists are wrestling anew with the most fundamental questions and revisiting ideas that were dismissed long ago.As leading astrophysicist Mario Livio explains in this elegantly written and timely book, most cosmologists have long believed that the universe will expand at a gradually decreasing rate until the expansion effectively stops. In this pleasing scenario, the universe is perfectly poised between expanding into oblivion or collapsing in a "big crash" and will continue on in this miraculously balanced state for eternity. The discovery that the expansion appears in fact to be speeding up - and therefore that the universe will keep expanding faster and faster for infinity - throws the view of a perfectly balanced "beautiful universe" into question. Even more troubling, it threatens the cherished belief that the fundamental laws governing the cosmos are in themselves exquisitely "beautiful," a belief that has always been a guiding light of discovery in cosmology.What can explain this accelerated expansion? Does the universe have much less mass than originally thought? Is there some exotic unknown force, or new kind of energy, causing acceleration? Was Einstein's "greatest blunder" - his idea of a cosmological constant - the right idea after all? What will the ultimate fate of the universe be? Must there be beauty in all good theories of the cosmos? Or are some of the laws governing the universe "ugly"?In an entertaining and lively exploration of the answers to all of these questions, Mario Livio introduces readers to the "old cosmology," which culminated in the view of the perfectly balanced universe, and then presents all of the ideas being explored by cosmologists in the "new cosmology" as they come to terms with the discovery of acceleration. Offering extraordinarily clear explanations of all the key concepts and theoretical ideas, Livio is a marvelous guide through this most exciting frontier in science today. "In one of the most surprising and important findings in cosmology in the century, astronomers recently discovered that the universe may be expanding at an ever-increasing rate.". "As astrophysicist Mario Livio explains in this book, most cosmologists have long believed that the universe will expand at a gradually decreasing rate until the expansion effectively stops. The discovery that the expansion appears in fact to be speeding up - and therefore that the universe will keep expanding faster and faster for infinity - throws the view of a perfectly balanced "beautiful universe" into question.". "Mario Livio introduces readers to the "old cosmology," which culminated in the view of the perfectly balanced universe, and then presents all of the ideas being explored by cosmologists in the "new cosmology" as they come to terms with the discovery of acceleration. Offering clear explanations of all the key concepts and theoretical ideas, Livio is a guide through this exciting frontier in science today."--BOOK JACKET. Advance Praise for The Accelerating Universe "The Accelerating Universe is not only an informative book about modern cosmology. It is rich storytelling and, above all, a celebration of the human mind in its quest for beauty in all things." --Alan Lightman, author of Einstein's Dreams "This is a wonderfully lucid account of the extraordinary discoveries that have made the last years a golden period for observational cosmology. But Mario Livio has not only given the reader one clear explanation after another of what astronomers are up to, he has used them to construct a provocative argument for the importance of aesthetics in the development of science and for the inseparability of science, art, and culture." --Lee Smolin, author of The Life of the Cosmos "What a pleasure to read! An exciting, simple account of the universe revealed by modern astronomy. Beautifully written, clearly presented, i... The Accelerating Universe......Page 1 Contents......Page 4 Foreword......Page 6 Preface......Page 14 1 Prologue......Page 16 2 Beauty and the Beast......Page 29 3 Expansion......Page 58 4 The Case of the Missing Matter......Page 97 5 Flat Is Beautiful......Page 120 6 When Inflation Is Good......Page 154 7 Creation......Page 186 8 The Meaning of Life......Page 211 9 A Universe Custom Made for Us?......Page 252 10 A Cosmological Aesthetic Principle?......Page 269 Index......Page 281 This self-contained book provides modern and practical analytical methodologies for the assays in foods, pharmaceuticals and clinical samples. It covers the fat-soluble Vitamins: A, beta-carotene, D, E and K as well as the water soluble vitamins, C, folate, thiamin, biotin, pyridoxin and cyancobalims