The Big Bang and Georges Lemaître : Proceedings of a Symposium in Honour of G. Lemaître Fifty Years After His Initiation of Big-Bang Cosmology, Louvain-Ia-Neuve, Belgium, 10–13 October 1983

ix Fully aware of the work accomplished by Mgr. Lemattre, His Majesty King Baudouin enhanced this occasion by placing it under His High Patronage. His Holiness the Pope Jean-Paul II accepted to testify his paternel solicitude for the work of the scientists participating in the symposium. The President of the pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Director of the Vatican Observatory transmitted their fervent wishes for the full success of the symposium. Numerous other eminent people graced the ceremony with their patronage. The academic opening, the addresses of which are pub\*lished by the Revue des Questions Scientifiques de Bruxelles , was presided over by Mgr. E. Massaux, Rector of the Catholic University of Louvain who spoke about Lemattre, the University professor. Professor Ch. de Duve, Nobel Prize winner in Medicine, called to mind the role of Lemattre as President of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences; the Emeritus Professor O. Godart, founder of the Institute, recalled the life and work of Mgr. Lemattre; Professor A. Deprit, Senior Mathematician at the National Bureau of Standards, spoke about Lemattre' s work in celestial mechanics and his keen interest for computers; Professor J. Peebles, Professor of Physics at Princeton University, summarized the fundamental contributions of Lemattre to modern cosmology. The attendance of more than three hundred people was enhanced by the presence of Mgr. A. Pedroni, Papal Nuncio, Mr Ph. Maystadt, Minister of Research Policy, Mr E. Knoops, Secretary of State, Mr Y. de Wasseige, Senator, Professor E. Front Matter....Pages i-xxii Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Physics and Cosmology: Some Interactions....Pages 3-22 Impact of Lemaitre’s Ideas on Modern Cosmology....Pages 23-30 Massive Neutrinos and Photinos in Cosmology and Galactic Astronomy....Pages 31-41 The Primordial Nucleosynthesis....Pages 43-61 A Generalization of the Lemaitre Models....Pages 63-73 Is the Universe Homogeneous on a Large Scale?....Pages 75-81 Vacuum Inhomogeneous Cosmological Models....Pages 83-92 The Significance of Newtonian Cosmology....Pages 93-102 Numerical Simulation of Evolution of a Multi-Dimensional Higgs Field in the New Inflationary Scenario....Pages 103-112 Primordial Nucleosynthesis and Nuclear Reaction Rates Uncertainties....Pages 113-122 Time and Singularity....Pages 123-131 Quasar Energy from Frozen Fusion Via Massive Neutrinos?....Pages 133-138 Estimation of Galactic Masses Using the Zero Energy-Momentum Cosmological Principle....Pages 139-148 Front Matter....Pages 149-149 Dynamics of Orbiting Dust under Radiation Pressure....Pages 151-180 Non Gravitational Forces in the Evolution of the Solar System....Pages 181-194 Generalizations of the Restricted Problem of Three Bodies....Pages 195-205 Secular Perturbations of Asteroids with Commensurable Mean Motions....Pages 207-215 A Mechanism of Depletion for the Kirkwood’s Gaps....Pages 217-218 On the Stability of the Solar System as Hierarchical Dynamical System....Pages 219-230 A Relativistic Approach to the Kepler Problem....Pages 231-237 Front Matter....Pages 149-149 The Three-Body Problem in Stellar Dynamics....Pages 239-255 The Critical Periodic Orbits in the Störmer Problem....Pages 257-267 A Multimode Investigation of Granular and Supergranular Motions I: Boussinesq Model....Pages 269-276 Front Matter....Pages 277-277 Galaxy Formation Revisited....Pages 279-297 Clusters and Superclusters....Pages 299-314 Cosmic Ray Sources and Confinement in the Galaxy....Pages 315-325 Strong Evidence for Metagalactic Shock Waves at Redshifts Z∽2–3....Pages 327-327 Algebraic Programming in General Relativity and Cosmology....Pages 329-340 Finite Euclidean and Non-Euclidean Geometry with Applications to the Finite Pendulum and the Polygonal Harmonic Motion. A First Step to Finite Cosmology....Pages 341-355 Front Matter....Pages 357-361 Monsignor Georges Lemaitre....Pages 363-392 The Scientific Work of Georges Lemaitre....Pages 393-397 Bibliography of G. Lemaitre....Pages 399-407 Back Matter....Pages 409-420 Proceedings in honour of G. Lemaîtr fifty years after his initiation of Big-Bang Cosmology, October 10-13, 1983, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium Proceedings in honour of G. Lemaitr fifty years after his initiation of Big-Bang Cosmology, October 10-13, 1983, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium