Gerhard Börner Knihy

In this corrected and enlarged edition of Börner's well respected textbook, you will find an up-to-date account of the interplay between particle physics and astrophysics upon which modern cosmology is founded. The author describes some of the theories which have been developed to model the fundamental interaction of elementary particles in the extremely high temperatures of the early universe, taking care to distinguish facts and well- established results from hypotheses and speculations. The three parts of the book discuss the standard hot big bang model of the early universe, the basic ideas of the standard and the grand unified theories of elementary particles, and the influence of dark matter of the large- scale evolution of structure. In addition to making some minor corrections, the author has added an appendix presenting new results and an updated bibliography. Two main groups of readers are research students in astronomy can use this book to understand the impact of elementary particle theory on cosmology, while research students in particle physics can use it to acquaint themselves with the basic facts of cosmology. The book is written carefully enough to appeal also to a wider audience of physicists.

The world as it is viewed from modern physics and cosmology has many strange and unexpected features. Often these are in stark contrast with our everyday experience or our preconceptions, such as the concept of space and time as finite and changeable. Nevertheless it is this strange world which is the fundamental basis of our existence. Therefore modern science also has a few things to say about the age-old questions: Who are we? – Where do we come from? – Where are we going? The author, an experienced scientist and teacher, presents the knowledge that we have about our world for non-experts. He takes us on a journey through cosmology and the quantum world of elementary particles. And he sketches the impact of the insights gained into philosophical assumptions and religious beliefs in these disciplines. In the end he asks the speculative question whether there is something beyond the limits of the natural sciences.

This fourth edition of the book offers a comprehensive review of advancements in cosmology over the last fourteen years. It features newly written chapters on the standard model, quantum field theory implications, and structure formation. Emphasis is placed on recent observations, particularly of cosmic microwave background anisotropies.

This work discusses what researchers currently know about the global properties of the Universe; the progress in relating cosmology and fundamental theories; and the formation of large-scale structure in the Universe.

Gerhard Börner bietet einen klaren Überblick über die Astrophysik und das Wissen über das Universum, von den Anfängen nach dem Urknall bis zu den fundamentalen Kräften und Teilchen. Er untersucht die Verbindungen zwischen Kosmologie und Quantentheorie und hinterfragt die Grenzen menschlicher Erkenntnis.

Die alten Fragen „Woher kommen wir?“, „Wohin gehen wir?“ haben in der modernen Kosmologie eine interessante Antwort erhalten. Wir sind Teil einer langen Kette von Entwicklungen in einem Kosmos, in dem kein Atom verlorengeht und in dem unser Leben sogar mit der Entwicklung der Sterne verknüpft ist. Die frappierenden Erkenntnisse der Physiker über die komplexe Struktur des Universums, in dem unsere solide Alltagswelt offenbar getragen wird von einem Untergrund aus Teilchen und immateriellen Feldern, führen zu einem Verzicht auf eine umfassende Weltdeutung. Sie öffnen aber den Blick für die Bedeutung von Glaubensaussagen. Gerhard Börner erkundet die Grenzen der naturwissenschaftlichen Weltbeschreibung und liefert einen spannenden Beitrag zur Diskussion zwischen naturwissenschaftlichen und religiösen Weltsichten.

Die Evolution des Universums: Vom Urknall zur komplexen Welt der Galaxien Für jedermann verständlich erklärt Börner in seiner kurz und bündig geschriebenen ›Kosmologie‹ die Mysterien unseres Universums wie die Ausdehnung des Weltalls, Kugelsternhaufen, kosmische Hintergrundstrahlung und Schwarze Löcher. Und er führt ein in Kosmologische Modelle, Gravitation und die Allgemeine Relativitätstheorie.