Introduction To The Theory Of The Early Universe

This book is written from the viewpoint that a deep connection exists between cosmology and particle physics. It presents the results and ideas on both the homogeneous and isotropic Universe at the hot stage of its evolution and in later stages. The main chapters describe in a systematic and pedagogical way established facts and concepts on the early and the present Universe. The comprehensive treatment, hence, serves as a modern introduction to this rapidly developing field of science. To help in reading the chapters without having to constantly consult other texts, essential materials from General Relativity and the theory of elementary particles are collected in the appendices. Various hypotheses dealing with unsolved problems of cosmology, and often alternative to each other, are discussed at a more advanced level. These concern dark matter, dark energy, matter-antimatter asymmetry, etc.Particle physics and cosmology underwent rapid development between the first and the second editions of this book. In the second edition, many chapters and sections have been revised, and numerical values of particle physics and cosmological parameters have been updated.

Review

Reviews of the First Edition:
 

“… is an excellent addition to the field of theoretical cosmology that goes a long way towards filling the need for a fully modern pedagogical text … Both volumes contain notably insightful treatments of many topics and there is a large variety of problems for the student distributed throughout the text, in addition to extensive appendices on background material … for those wanting a modern successor to The Early Universe by Edward Kolb and Michael Turner or John Peacock’s Cosmological Physics, either for study of an unfamiliar topic or to recommend to PHD students to prepare them for research, the two volumes are a fine choice and an excellent alternative to Steven Weiberg’s more formal Cosmology.” — CERN Courier
 

“This set of two volumes on the early universe is a truly excellent treatise on the subject. The volumes cover both particle physics and general relativity aspects systematically and in detail. The discussion is self-contained and brings out the tremendous progress that has occurred in the last 2–3 decades. It is especially refreshing to see that the hype, exaggerations and over-emphasis on fashions one often finds in discussions of modern cosmology are not necessary to make the subject lucid and fascinating. The two volumes can be used either as texts for advanced courses in cosmology or as ‘handbooks” on the subject by active researchers.” — Abhay Ashtekar, Director, Institute for Gravitation & the Cosmos, Pennsylvania State University

“This set of two volumes on the early universe is a truly excellent treatise on the subject. The volumes cover both particle physics and general relativity aspects systematically and in detail. The discussion is self-contained and brings out the tremendous progress that has occurred in the last 2-3 decades. It is especially refreshing to see that the hype, exaggerations and over-emphasis on fashions one often finds in discussions of modern cosmology are not necessary to make the subject lucid and fascinating. The two volumes can be used either as texts for advanced courses in cosmology or as ‘handbooks’ on the subject by active researchers.” –Abhay Ashtekar, Director, Institute for Gravitation & the Cosmos, Pennsylvania State University
 

This book is written from the viewpoint that a deep connection exists between cosmology and particle physics. It presents the results and ideas on both the homogeneous and isotropic Universe at the hot stage of its evolution and in later stages. The main chapters describe in a systematic and pedagogical way established facts and concepts on the early and the present Universe. The comprehensive treatment, hence, serves as a modern introduction to this rapidly developing field of science. To help in reading the chapters without having to constantly consult other texts, essential materials from General Relativity and the theory of elementary particles are collected in the appendices. Various hypotheses dealing with unsolved problems of cosmology, and often alternative to each other, are discussed at a more advanced level. These concern dark matter, dark energy, matterantimatter asymmetry, etc. Particle physics and cosmology underwent rapid development between the first and the second editions of this book. In the second edition, many chapters and sections have been revised, and numerical values of particle physics and cosmological parameters have been updated. –This text refers to the paperback edition.