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Books > Science & Mathematics > Astronomy, space & time
From renowned physicist Fred Alan Wolf comes his enthralling and
accessible exploration of parallel universes and the various
theories surrounding them.In this "enthralling read" (Publishers
Weekly), travel through the frontiers of space as physicist Fred
Alan Wolf guides you through the complex yet intruging concept of
parallel universes. Challenge your preceptions of the universe and
explore ideas as varied as superspace theater and zero-time ghosts
and even explore a future where time travel is real and black holes
are gateways rather than endings.
Earth's Magnetosphere: Formed by the Low Latitude Boundary Layer,
Second Edition, provides a fully updated overview of both
historical and current data related to the magnetosphere and how it
is formed. With a focus on experimental data and space missions,
the book goes in depth relating space physics to the Earth's
magnetosphere and its interaction with the solar wind. Starting
with Newton's law, this book also examines Maxwell's equations and
subsidiary equations such as continuity, constitutive relations and
the Lorentz transformation, Helmholtz' theorem, and Poynting's
theorem, among other methods for understanding this interaction.
This new edition of Earth's Magnetosphere is updated with
information on such topics as 3D reconnection, space weather
implications, recent missions such as MMS, ionosphere outflow and
coupling, and the inner magnetosphere. With the addition of
end-of-chapter problems as well, this book is an excellent
foundational reference for geophysicists, space physicists, plasma
physicists, and graduate students alike.
The universe is pervaded by particles with extreme energies,
millions of times greater than we can produce on Earth. They have
been a mystery for over a century. Now, current and future
experiments in particle astrophysics are leading us to answers to
the most fundamental questions about them. How does nature
accelerate the highest energy particles in the universe? Do new
interactions between them occur at such extreme energies? Are there
unknown aspects of spacetime that can be uncovered by studying
these particles?This book brings together three fields within
'extreme astronomy': ultra-high-energy cosmic ray physics, neutrino
astronomy, and gamma-ray astronomy, and discusses how each can help
answer these questions. Each field is presented with a theoretical
introduction that clearly elucidates the key questions scientists
face. This is followed by chapters that discuss the current set of
experiments - how they work and their discoveries. Finally, new
techniques and approaches are discussed to solve the mysteries
uncovered by the current experiments.
The Dynamics of Natural Satellites of the Planets is an accessible
reference for understanding the celestial mechanics of planetary
moons through the lens of both theory and observation. Based on
decades of research by the author, the book utilizes
state-of-the-art observations of the natural satellites in the
solar system to establish models, measurements and calculations to
better understand the theory of the satellite movement and
dynamics. It presents an extensive set of study methods and results
on the motion of natural satellites of the planets and includes
reviews and references to related publication for further
explanation. By relating observations to numerical theory, the book
serves as a quick and comprehensive reference for applying the
theory of orbital dynamics to observational data on orbits and
physical properties of the natural satellites in order to formulate
state-of-the-art explanations and models, particularly for
determining the parameters of satellite motion.
Does science deny God? Did the Universe and life appear by chance
or is there evidence of a bigger scheme of thing behind them? In
this context, I am concerned with answering these questions. This
problem is addressed using knowledge in cosmology, physics and
biology. The initial part describes the stages of the 'Genesis'
according to physical cosmology from the Big Bang to the appearance
of life on Earth. It will touch on problems of why the universe is
dominated by matter, the theory of inflation, the limits of our
knowledge on the early Universe, the lack of a theory that can
allow us to study the phases immediately after the Big Bang, the
relation between the concepts of quantum mechanics and the
existence of God. It shows how the Universe is finely regulated,
that is, the physical constants have been chosen so that life
appears in the Universe. The regulation is so strong that we are
forced to think the existence of a great designer who has created a
particular Universe like the one we are observing. This conclusion
can be avoided only if there is an infinity of universes, a
multiverse. We ask ourselves if science can create the Universe
from nothing and using the same arguments of cosmologists such as
Krauss (author of The Universe from Nothing). It is now known that
the current science does not allow the creation of a Universe from
absolutely nothing. Physics and cosmology do not deny God. Indeed,
the argument of the fine adjustment of constants is strongly
indicative of the existence of a great designer. Other evidence
confirming this comes from biology. Thousands of experiments in
recent decades highlight the impossibility of generating life in
the laboratory. There is an intrinsic order in life encoded in DNA
that is not present in experiments. Simple calculations show that
the 'blind and aimless' evolution described by neo-Darwinists such
as Dawkins does not allow the generation of life.
In April 1992, a discovery was made that changed the way we view
the world. Dr. George Smoot, distinguished cosmologist and
adventurer, whose quest for cosmic knowledge had taken him from the
Brazilian rain forest to the South Pole unveiled his momentous
discovery, bringing to light the very nature of the universe. For
anyone who has ever looked up at the night sky and wondered, for
anyone who has ever longed to pull aside the fabric of the universe
for a glimpse of what lies behind it. Wrinkles in Time is the story
of Smoot's search to uncover the cosmic seeds of the universe.
Wrinkles in Time is the Double Helix of cosmology, an intimate look
at the inner world of men and women who ask. "Why are we here?" It
tells the story of George Smoot's dogged pursuit of the cosmic
wrinkles in the frozen wastes of Antarctica, on mountaintops, in
experiments borne aloft aboard high-altitude balloons, U-2 spy
planes, and finally a space satellite. Wrinkles in Time presents
the hard science behind the structured violence of the big bang
theory through breathtakingly clear, lucid images and meaningful
comparisons. Scientists and nonscientists alike can follow with
rapt attention the story of how, in a fiery creation, wrinkles
formed in space ultimately to become stars, galaxies, and even
greater delicate structures. Anyone can appreciate the implications
of a universe whose end is written in its beginnings - whose course
developed according to a kind of cosmic DNA, which guided the
universe from simplicity and symmetry to ever-greater complexity
and structure. As controversial as it may seem today, Wrinkles in
Time reveals truths that, in an earlier century, would have doomed
its proclaimers to thefiery stake. For four thousand years some
people have accepted the Genesis account of cosmic origin; for most
of this century, scientists debated two rival scientific
explanations known as the steady state and big bang theories. And
now, Wrinkles in Time tells what really happened
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