In the Preface to this 2nd edition the reader is advised that this textbook was written assuming the reader has a good background in electrodynamics, statistical mechanics, classical dynamics, and quantum physics. Also assumed was a very good background in integral and differential calculus. I found this to be the case!
Chapters included are:
CH 1- Introduction of standard units in astronomy including Planck scale units of length, mass, time, energy, and temperature.
CH 2- Fundamental Observations on which modern cosmology is based including ideas regarding the universe being isotropic and homogeneous, redshift, Hubble's Law, scale factor and the Cosmic Microwave Background. I found this all nicely explained.
CH 3- Both Newton's and Einstein's way of viewing the universe including the ideas about curvature, the Robertson-Walker Metric and how scale factors and redshift relate are covered. Once again I found all of this nicely explained.
CH 4- Cosmic Dynamics including a very brief description of Einstein's Field Equation is covered. Also included was a derivation of the famous Friedmann Equation along with equations for Critical Density, Density Parameter, Fluid and Acceleration Equations, Equations of State, and the Cosmological Constant. Again, I found all of this explained very nicely and could follow all the derivations.
CH 5- A very important chapter on Model Universes with the Friedmann Equation applied to various types of universes: Empty Universes, Single Component Universes: Flat, Matter only, Radiation only, deSitter Universes (flat with cosmological constant-Lambda). The chapter then became more complex with Multiple-component Universes: Matter/Curvature, Matter/Lambda, Matter/Curvature/Lambda, Radiation/Matter, and our current model: Flat/Radiation/Matter/Lambda. I really enjoyed working thru all the derivations from one equation to another in this interesting chapter.
CH 6- Measuring Cosmological Parameters dealt with scale factors, measuring distances using Luminosity and Angular-Diameter, and Standard Candles all in a very mathematical way. I loved the mathematical descriptions and derivations.
CH 7- Dark Matter. A nice mathematical description showing evidence for dark matter in galaxies and galactic clusters and gravitational lensing.
Ch 8- The Cosmic Microwave Background, its history, and explanation using the Hot Big Bang model. This chapter became quite complex in describing the possible epochs since the initial Big Bang that would explain what we now observe. This was the first chapter where I got lost in the highly detailed mathematics but could still follow the general idea of what was being described.
CH 9- Nucleosynthesis in the Early Universe. This also was a very complex chapter with a fairly detailed analysis of the nuclear reactions thought to have taken place resulting in the element ratios we observe today. My difficulty understanding it was probably due to my limited background in nuclear physics.
CH 10,11,12 dealing with Inflation, Gravitational Instability, and Baryonic Matter's role in Structural Formation were highly mathematical and a bit beyond my reach. I probably would have done much better if these chapters were presented by a teacher in a live classroom rather than being tackled as a self-study by myself.
Each chapter is also followed by a set of very challenging problems. I was able to solve many of them in the first half of the book but had greater difficulty in the later chapters.
In short, the book lives up to its claim as geared toward the upper level student with a rigorous background in mathematics and physics.
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É.R. WOLFF
Best book I've red on the subject.
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Tempo di consegna: perfetto!!!
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