It has been firmly established over the last quarter century that cosmic dust plays important roles in astrochemistry. The consequences of these roles affect the formation of planets, stars and even galaxies. Cosmic dust has been a controversial topic but there is now a considerable measure of agreement as to its nature and roles in astronomy, and its initiation of astrobiology. The subject has stimulated an enormous research effort, with researchers in many countries now involved in laboratory research and in ab initio computations. This is the first book devoted to a study of the chemistry of cosmic dust, presenting current thinking on the subject distilled from many publications in surface and solid-state science, and in astronomy. The authors discuss the nature of dust, its formation and evolution, the chemistry it can promote on its surfaces, and the consequences of these functions. The purpose of this book is to review current understanding and to indicate where future work is required. Mainly intended for researchers in the field of astrochemistry, the book could also be used as the basis of a course for postgraduate students who have an interest in astrochemistry.

In The Infinite Cosmos Joseph Silk takes the reader on a tour of the universe, past, present, and future, showing how the very latest observations and theories are unlocking clues about its origin and structure: X-ray, radio, and high-energy views of space are revealing fossil radiation left over from the big bang and providing us with unprecedented views of the most distant reaches of the universe. Theories from the frontiers of current research seek to explain its structure from the first moments to the present day, and we are beginning to understand its extraordinary nature and possible fate. This is a story involving the visible and the invisible; subatomic particles and unusual forces; long ages of darkness and spectacular and violent events. It tells of supernovae, dark matter, dark energy, curved spacetime, colliding galaxies, and supermassive black holes. Weaving the ideas of poets and writers as well as scientists into the story, from Kant and Keats to Einstein and Lemaitre, Silk explains our present state of knowledge, and how much more there is to understand about our infinite cosmos.

Brian Greene's The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos explores our most current scientific understanding of the universe, the 'string theory' that might hold the key to unifying nature's laws, and our continuing quest to know more. There was a time when 'universe' meant all there is. Everything. Yet, as physicist Brian Greene's extraordinary book shows, ours may be just one universe among many, like endless reflections in a mirror. He takes us on a captivating exploration of parallel worlds - from a multiverse where an infinite number of your doppelgangers are reading this sentence, to vast oceans of bubble universes and even multiverses made of mathematics - showing just how much of reality's true nature may be hidden within them. 'If extraterrestrials land tomorrow and demand to know what the human mind is capable of accomplishing ... hand them a copy of this book' The New York Times Book Review 'A writer of exceptional clarity and charm ... every chapter opens level after level of previously unimaginable, mind-expanding realities' Oliver Sacks 'The book serves well as an introduction to the multiverse and will open up many people's eyes' John Gribbin Brian Greene is well known to many fans as a populariser of theoretical physics. He is the author of the bestselling books about string theory, The Elegant Universe, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction, The Fabric of the Cosmos, and The Hidden Reality. Educated at Harvard and Oxford, he has taught at both Harvard and Cornell and has been Professor of Physics and Mathematics at Columbia University since 1996.

Is there such a thing as a fundamental reality, something which was around before our universe came into existence and which will still remain when all matter, time, and space itself ultimately disappear? Something fundamental which, in turn, can make space and time and matter arise from seemingly nothing? Under most cosmological and physical models, the last known remnants of reality are the disembodied laws of mathematics -- beyond which it is extremely difficult to probe further. Using contemporary physics, narrated at popular science level, Chris Ransford shows why full nothingness -- a nothingness within which even the disembodied laws of mathematics would not exist -- cannot possibly exist, and what most likely underpins and enables reality. This leads the author to a few thoughts as to how such knowledge may be verified, and then deployed to achieve a better alignment with reality.

The dark matter problem is one of the most fundamental and profoundly difficult problems in the history of science. Not knowing what makes up most of the mass in the Universe goes to the heart of our understanding of the Universe and our place in it. In Search of Dark Matter is the story of the emergence of the dark matter problem, from the initial 'discovery' of dark matter by Jan Oort to contemporary explanations for the nature of dark matter and its role in the origin and evolution of the Universe.

Written for the intelligent non-scientist and scientist alike, it spans a variety of scientific disciplines, from observational astronomy to particle physics. Concepts that the reader will encounter along the way are at the cutting edge of scientific research. However the themes are explained in such a way that no prior understanding of science beyond a high school education is necessary.

The cataclysmic stellar explosion Supernova 1987A, visible to the naked eye, was the nearest and brightest supernova witnessed since the invention of the telescope four centuries ago. This volume deals with supernovae and their remnants, in terms of exceptional phenomena that produce and release high-energy nuclei and particles. Marking the thirtieth anniversary of SN 1987A, the proceedings of IAU Symposium 331 introduce the accumulating knowledge on these central sources in many active fields of investigation: stellar evolution and the diversity of supernova progenitors and their properties, explosive nucleosynthesis and particle acceleration in the most extreme environments known to physics, and the long-standing issues about the origins of heavy nuclei in the Universe and of cosmic rays. Through its interdisciplinary approach, this volume also sheds light on the open issues related to these topics and emphasizes topics of future interest with upcoming multi-wavelength and multi-messenger facilities.

How a great enigma of astronomy was solved Astronomers have determined that our universe is 13.7 billion years old. How exactly did they come to this precise conclusion? How Old Is the Universe? tells the incredible story of how astronomers solved one of the most compelling mysteries in science and, along the way, introduces readers to fundamental concepts and cutting-edge advances in modern astronomy. The age of our universe poses a deceptively simple question, and its answer carries profound implications for science, religion, and philosophy. David Weintraub traces the centuries-old quest by astronomers to fathom the secrets of the nighttime sky. Describing the achievements of the visionaries whose discoveries collectively unveiled a fundamental mystery, he shows how many independent lines of inquiry and much painstakingly gathered evidence, when fitted together like pieces in a cosmic puzzle, led to the long-sought answer. Astronomers don't believe the universe is 13.7 billion years old-they know it. You will too after reading this book. By focusing on one of the most crucial questions about the universe and challenging readers to understand the answer, Weintraub familiarizes readers with the ideas and phenomena at the heart of modern astronomy, including red giants and white dwarfs, cepheid variable stars and supernovae, clusters of galaxies, gravitational lensing, dark matter, dark energy and the accelerating universe-and much more. Offering a unique historical approach to astronomy, How Old Is the Universe? sheds light on the inner workings of scientific inquiry and reveals how astronomers grapple with deep questions about the physical nature of our universe.

What is 'nothing'? What remains when you take all the matter away? Can empty space - a void - exist? This Very Short Introduction explores the science and the history of the elusive void: from Aristotle who insisted that the vacuum was impossible, via the theories of Newton and Einstein, to our very latest discoveries and why they can tell us extraordinary things about the cosmos. Frank Close tells the story of how scientists have explored the elusive void, and the rich discoveries that they have made there. He takes the reader on a lively and accessible history through ancient ideas and cultural superstitions to the frontiers of current research. He describes how scientists discovered that the vacuum is filled with fields; how Newton, Mach, and Einstein grappled with the nature of space and time; and how the mysterious 'aether' that was long ago supposed to permeate the void may now be making a comeback with the latest research into the 'Higgs field'. We now know that the vacuum is far from being empty - it seethes with virtual particles and antiparticles that erupt spontaneously into being, and it also may contain hidden dimensions that we were previously unaware of. These new discoveries may provide answers to some of cosmology's most fundamental questions: what lies outside the universe, and, if there was once nothing, then how did the universe begin? ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

On Albert Einstein's seventy-sixth and final birthday, a friend gave him a simple toy made from a broomstick, a brass ball attached to a length of string, and a weak spring. Einstein was delighted: the toy worked on a principle he had conceived fifty years earlier when he was working on his revolutionary theory of gravitya principle whose implications are still confounding physicists today.

Starting with this winning anecdote, Anthony Zee begins his animated discussion of phenomena ranging from the emergence of galaxies to the curvature of space-time, evidence for the existence of gravity waves, and the shape of the universe in the first nanoseconds of creation and today. Making complex ideas accessible without oversimplifying, Zee leads the reader through the implications of Einstein's theory and its influence on modern physics. His playful and lucid style conveys the excitement of some of the latest developments in physics, and his new Afterword brings things even further up-to-date.

Das Lehrbuch soll Studierende mit Interesse an den theoretischen Naturwissenschaften, deren Kenntnisse im wesentlichen aus einem Grundkurs der Differential- und Integralrechnung wie etwa fur Ingenieurfacher bestehen, in die klassische Feldtheorie mit modernen mathematischen Methoden einfuhren. Dementsprechend sind die Tensoranalysis und die Differentialgeometrie die mathematischen Themen, die Geometrie der Raum-Zeit und das Prinzip der Relativitat im Zusammenhang mit den Grundgesetzen der Elektrodynamik und der Gravitation die physikalischen. Mit Rucksicht auf die Mathematik der Relativitatstheorie, aber auch aus didaktischen Erwagungen, gliedert sich der Text in zwei Teile. Um den Leser unter einfacheren Anforderungen an das Vorstellungsvermogen mit der Methodik vertraut zu machen, wird zunachst der affine und euklidische Raum den mathematischen Objekten zugrundegelegt, um verallgemeinernd zur komplexeren Geometrie auf Mannigfaltigkeiten und Riemannschen Raumen hinuberfuhren zu konnen. Die Tensoranalysis in ebenen und gekrummten Raumen wird durch eine Einfuhrung in die spezielle und allgemeine Relativitatstheorie erganzt und abgeschlossen, wobei die Geometrie der Raum-Zeit und die Formulierung der Grundgesetze sowie mathematische Folgerungen zur Sprache kommen.

Illustrated with breathtaking images of the Solar System and of the Universe around it, this book explores how the discoveries within the Solar System and of exoplanets far beyond it come together to help us understand the habitability of Earth, and how these findings guide the search for exoplanets that could support life. The author highlights how, within two decades of the discovery of the first planets outside the Solar System in the 1990s, scientists concluded that planets are so common that most stars are orbited by them. The lives of exoplanets and their stars, as of our Solar System and its Sun, are inextricably interwoven. Stars are the seeds around which planets form, and they provide light and warmth for as long as they shine. At the end of their lives, stars expel massive amounts of newly forged elements into deep space, and that ejected material is incorporated into subsequent generations of planets. How do we learn about these distant worlds? What does the exploration of other planets tell us about Earth? Can we find out what the distant future may have in store for us? What do we know about exoworlds and starbirth, and where do migrating hot Jupiters, polluted white dwarfs, and free-roaming nomad planets fit in? And what does all that have to do with the habitability of Earth, the possibility of finding extraterrestrial life, and the operation of the globe-spanning network of the sciences?

Enjoy Our Universe is a guide for an enjoyable visit to the Universe. The "Universe" refers to all "observable things," ranging in size from the entire cosmos to elementary particles. This small tome on fundamental physics, cosmology, Higgs bosons, time travel and all that, is unlike any other analogous book. Its scientific statements are correct or, at least, they coincide with the opinions held by the vast majority of experts. It establishes clear distinctions between things we know for sure - in the sense of having strong observational support for them - and things that we know that we do not know, or we do not understand. In this sense, it is scientifically honest. In descriptions of our Universe and of the way it functions, beauty is a recurring word. In an attempt to portray its beauty from the eyes of the beholder, the book is profusely illustrated. Its offbeat, tongue-in-cheek illustrations greatly enhance its readability, particularly in those chapters whose understanding, admittedly, requires a little extra effort. This book's idiosyncracies remind us of our own smallness and eccentricities even as we read about the logic, function and magnificence of the Universe.

This book is an introduction to gravitational waves and related astrophysics. It provides a bridge across the range of astronomy, physics and cosmology that comes into play when trying to understand the gravitational-wave sky. Starting with Einstein's theory of gravity, chapters develop the key ideas step by step, leading up to the technology that finally caught these faint whispers from the distant universe. The second part of the book makes a direct connection with current research, introducing the relevant language and making the involved concepts less mysterious. The book is intended to work as a platform, low enough that anyone with an elementary understanding of gravitational waves can scramble onto it, but at the same time high enough to connect readers with active research - and the many exciting discoveries that are happening right now. The first part of the book introduces the key ideas, following a general overview chapter and including a brief reminder of Einstein's theory. This part can be taught as a self-contained one semester course. The second part of the book is written to work as a collection of "set pieces" with core material that can be adapted to specific lectures and additional material that provide context and depth. A range of readers may find this book useful, including graduate students, astronomers looking for basic understanding of the gravitational-wave window to the universe, researchers analysing data from gravitational-wave detectors, and nuclear and particle physicists.

Die Sprache und die Methoden der modernen Differentialgeometrie sind in der vergangenen Dekade immer mehr in die theoretische Physik eingedrungen. Was vor 15 Jahren, als das Buch zuerst als Vorlesungsskriptum herauskam, noch extravagant erschien, ist heute ein Gemeinplatz. Dies hat mich in der Ansicht gestarkt, dass die Studenten der theoretischen Physik diese Sprache lernen mussen, je eher desto besser. Schliesslich werden sie die Professoren des 21. Jahrhunderts sein und es ware absurd, wurden sie dann die Mathematik des 19. Jahrhunderts lehren. Daher habe ich in der neuen Auflage auf dieser Symbolik beharrt, einige Fehler korrigiert und ein Kapi- tel uber Eichtheorien hinzugefugt. Da es sich gezeigt hat, dass sie die fundamentalen Wechselwirkungen beschreiben und ihre Struktur zumindest auf dem klassischen Ni- veau hinreichend klar ist, scheinen sie mir zur Minimalausrustung zu gehoeren, uber die jeder Theoretiker verfugen muss. Mit Bedauern musste ich davon Abstand nehmen, die neueren Entwicklungen der Kosmologie und Kaluza-Klein-artige Theorien aufzu- nehmen, aber ich fuhlte mich an mein ursprungliches Versprechen gebunden, den Studenten keine theoretischen Spekulationen aufzuburden, fur die es keine sichere experimentelle Evidenz gibt. Vielen Physikern bin ich fur Hinweise bezuglich dieses Bandes sehr verpflichtet. Insbesondere P. Aichelburg, H. Rumpf und vor allem H. Urbantke haben zahlreiche Korrekturen und Verbesserungen angebracht. I. Dahl-Jensen sei dafur gedankt, dass sie manche nach Gefuhl angefertigte Zeichnungen mit dem Computer ins richtige Lot gebracht hat.