"Dark matter" was first introduced by Zwicky in 1933 to resolve a discrepancy be tween the dynamical and luminous masses of the Coma cluster. In spite of tremen dous developments in observations and various theoretical attempts, the problem of dark matter has not been resolved but has rather deepened in mystery. Though it is now certain that dark matter constitutes a dominant part of the matter in the universe, its distribution and accurate abundance are not known well. Though many people believe that it consists of non-baryonic matter, no one can reject the bary onic candidate for sure. Though it may have surely played important roles in the formation of galaxies and their large-scale distribution, there exists no theory which is consistent with all the observational facts. Resolution of this frustrating situation is one of the urgent problems in astronomy, cosmology and particle physics. One obstacle for this is the diverse nature of the problem. More researchers are therefore invited to participate in this rich field. This volume contains lectures presented at the third N ishinomiya-Yukawa Memo rial Symposium on "Dark Matter in the Universe" held on 10-11 November 1988, in Nishinomiya City. This symposium was intended to present an introduction of the dark matter problem to young newcomers, and physicists and astrophysicists who had not specialized in this field. These proceedings will provide them with a comprehensive and current survey of the problem."

Ram accelerators are among the most advanced tools for generating fluid dynamcis data in supersonic reacting systems. They require the combined action of combustion, wave systems and turbulence and are still a serious challenge for physicists and engineers. This book will serve as an introductionary textbook on ram accelerators and gives a thorough overview on research activities, performance modeling and high-pressure detonation dynamics.

Although the development of ideas about the motion and trajectory of comets has been investigated piecemeal, we lack a comprehensive and detailed survey of ph- ical theories of comets. The available works either illustrate relatively short periods in the history of physical cometology or portray a landscape view without adequate details. The present study is an attempt to review - with more details - the major physical theories of comets in the past two millennia, from Aristotle to Whipple. My research, however, did not begin with antiquity. The basic question from which this project originated was a simple inquiry about the cosmic identity of comets at the dawn of the astronomical revolution: how did natural philosophers and astronomers define the nature and place of a new category of celestial objects - comets - after Brahe's estimation of cometary distances? It was from this turning point in the history of cometary theories that I expanded my studies in both the pre-modern and modern eras. A study starting merely from Brahe and ending with Newton, without covering classical and medieval thought about comets, would be incomplete and leave the fascinating achievements of post-Newtonian cometology unexplored.

Topological defects have recently become of great interest in condensed matter physics, particle physics and cosmology. They are the unavoidable remnants of many symmetry breaking phase transitions. Topological defects can play an important role in describing the properties of many condensed matter systems (e.g. superfluids and superconduc tors); they can catalyze many unusual effects in particle physics models and they may be responsible for seeding the density perturbations in the early Universe which de velop into galaxies and the large-scale structure of the Universe. Topological defects are also of great interest in mathematics as nontrivial solutions of nonlinear differential equations stabilized by topological effects. The purpose of the Advanced Study Institute "Formation and Interactions of Topo logical Defects" was to bring together students and practitioners in condensed matter physics, particle physics and cosmology, to give a detailed exposition of the role of topo logical defects in these fields; to explore similarities and differences in the approaches; and to provide a common basis for discussion and future collaborative research on common problems.

During the past few decades we have witnessed at least two major innovations in science which have had substantial impact on technology as well as science itself, pervasive enough to modify many facets of our daily lives. We refer, of course, to the tran sistor and the laser. It is striking that now with the advent of optical bistability we may have opened the door to another such field, which combines these two aspects (transistor and laser) and has the possibility for important device applications as well as providing a unique window into the as yet not thoroughly explored frontiers of nonequilibrium statistical physics. This has prompted us to organize an international conference on the subject of optical bistability to provide an adequate means for assessing the current state of the art of this important field and to stimulate further significant developments by means of in tense technical exchange and interaction among the leading scien tists in this subject area.

Since the 1970s symposia or colloquia devoted to recent research on close binaries have been held around the world almost annually. At meetings of the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union this topic has also been discussed in detail at presentations in various commission meetings and also as invited talks by leading astronomers in the field. In recent years, fundamental changes have taken place in the study of close binaries due to the improvements in observational techniques, extension of observations from X-ray to radio regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, and advances in theoretical studies. For more than a decade, a group of astronomers at Ege University Observatory has been concentrating on active close binaries with particular emphasis on the behaviour of the light curves of chromospherically active systems. Thus, we decided to organize an international meeting in Western Anatolia, where this part of Turkey had been the cradle for great developments in science during antiquity. KUljadasi, located only minutes away from Ephesus, one of the seven wonders of the world, was selected to be the meeting site. Close binary systems constitute a very rich source of information about the physical properties of the component stars. Some systems are eclipsing variables, where periodic recurrences of eclipses are observed as comparatively brief decreases in the total brightness of the binary system. Precise methods of photometric observations make it possible to obtain the light variations of these systems because of eclipses and other phenomena.

The International Conference, Orbis Scientiae 1996, focused on the topics: The Neutrino Mass, Light Cone Quantization, Monopole Condensation, Dark Matter, and Gravitational Waves which we have adopted as the title of these proceedings. Was there any exciting news at the conference? Maybe, it depends on who answers the question. There was an almost unanimous agreement on the overall success of the conference as was evidenced by the fact that in the after-dinner remarks by one of us (BNK) the suggestion of organizing the conference on a biannual basis was presented but not accepted: the participants wanted the continuation of the tradition to convene annually. We shall, of course, comply. The expected observation of gravitational waves will constitute the most exciting vindication of Einstein's general relativity. This subject is attracting the attention of the experimentalists and theorists alike. We hope that by the first decade of the third millennium or earlier, gravitational waves will be detected, opening the way for a search for gravitons somewhere in the universe, presumably through the observations in the CMBR. The theoretical basis of the graviton search will take us to quantum gravity and eventually to the modification of general relativity to include the Planck scale behavior of gravity -at energies 19 of the order of 10 Ge V.

These proceedings are the result of a three-day meeting held in Oogliani (Italy), on October 2-4 2003, whose title was "VIrtual Astrophysical Jets 2003". Our goal in convening this meeting was to gather some of the scientists among the most active in the field of numerical simulations and modelling of astrophysi cal jets. For keeping the participants close to the "real world", we also invited a few observers to give up-to-date reviews outlining the state-of-the-art of jet observations. The principal aim of the meeting was thus to present and critically discuss the state-of-the-art numerical simulations, analytical models and laboratory ex periments for reproducing the main aspects of astrophysical jets and compar ing them with observations. The discussion has been focused on the following topics: * Observations and intepretions of jets from young stars and AGNs, comparisons of models with observations; * MHO accelerations of jets: steady self-similar models, MHO numerical simula tions of time-dependent accelerations mechanisms; * Jet stability and interaction with the ambient: formation of knots in YSO jets, jet survival to instabilities, deceleration of relativistic jets in FRI sources, simulations of jets-IGM interactions, jets propagation and galaxy formation; * Numerical codes and their validation: relativistic MHO codes, comparisons among different numerical schemes, jets in the laboratory and code validation. These topics have been discussed intensively during the meeting, and the out come of these discussions is presented in this volume. The contributions have been divided in five sections.

The physical processes driving the different manifestations of the phe nomenon of active galactic nuclei have been studied extensively during the last decade. A major obstacle in all attempts to understand the relevant pro cesses has always been the wide range of frequencies over which significant fractions of the total power are emitted. During the last decade, orbiting telescopes and instrumental improvements for ground-based instrumenta tion provided the means for major advancements on the observational side. The organizers felt that it was timely to organize a meeting to discuss the impact of this new situation on the understanding of the relevant physical processes. More then 400 astrophysicists were interested in participating in the meeting, in spite of the constraints on overseas travel which were imposed in early 1991. Unfortunately only 220 participants could be hosted by the Max-Planck-Haus, the site of the 1991 Heidelberg conference. The meet ing was organized by Sonderforschungsbereich 328 "Evolution of Galaxies". During 5 sessions, most of which lasted for one day each, 47 invited and con tributed talks and 150 poster papers were given, most, but not all, of which are included in these proceedings. With a few exceptions the order of the written texts follows that of the oral contributions during the meeting. The arrangement of posters into the five sections was not always unambiguous. We hope to have placed them in the most appropriate sections, in which they are listed in alphabetical order.

The 2nd International Conference on Space Engineering took place May 7-10, 1969, at Venice, Italy, under the organization of the Centro Studi Trasporti Missilistici and the Association pour l'Etude et la Recherche Astronautique et Cosmique. Its purpose was to bring together those interested in the technological development of space components, to exchange information by the presentation of papers and to discuss present problems and future trends, and to this end forty-eight papers were presented by distinguished experts from all over the world. The papers were selected from as wide a background as possible, approximately an equal number coming from the academic and research establishments as from industry. The principal criterion for their selection was that they should contribute to the knowledge of Space Engineering, and have application either to the improve ment of current technologies or to the design of more advanced systems for the future. Six pertinent sessions were planned which covered the major areas of interest: (1) Structures and Materials, where three important papers were presented; (2) Guidance and Control Systems, in which six valuable papers were presented, in cluding problems of controlling space ships, details of the inertial guidance system of the ELDO launch vehicle, the attitude control system of the "Europa 2"; (3) Propellants and Combustion, where eleven papers described recent work on solid and liquid rocket engines, advanced fuels and oxidizers, effects of additives, propellant injection, propellant expulsion techniques; (4) Propulsion, in which session ten papers"

In the 18th century, purely scientific interests as well as the practical necessities of navigation motivated the development of new theories and techniques to accurately describe celestial and lunar motion. "Between Theory and Observations" presents a detailed and accurate account, not to be found elsewhere in the literature, of Tobias Mayer's important contributions to the study of lunar motion-including the creation of his famous set of lunar tables, which were the most accurate of their time.

This book discusses in detail all the relevant numerical methods for the classical N-body problem. It demonstrates how to develop clear and elegant algorithms for models of gravitational systems, and explains the fundamental mathematical tools needed to describe the dynamics of a large number of mutually attractive particles. Particular attention is given to the techniques needed to model astrophysical phenomena such as close encounters and the dynamics of black hole binaries. The author reviews relevant work in the field and covers applications to the problems of planetary formation and star cluster dynamics, both of Pleiades type and globular clusters. Self-contained and pedagogical, this book is suitable for graduate students and researchers in theoretical physics, astronomy and cosmology.

Neutrinos play a fundamental role in the latest particle physics theories, such as Grand Unified Theories, theories of supersymmetry, and superstring theory. Their mass yields an important boundary condition for grand unification models. They are the best candidates for dark matter in the universe, and their mass could determine its large scale structure and evolution. Neutrinos probe the interior of collapsing stars, and understanding them may lead to a solution of the solar neutrino problem. In ten chapters written by experts in each of these fields this book gives a comprehensive presentation of our current knowledge of the neutrino, of its role in nuclear particle and astrophysics theories, and of ongoing experimental efforts to learn more about its own nature. Graduate students and researchers in these fields will find this book a reliable advanced text and source of reference.

After the launching of the first artificial satellites preceding interplanetary vehicles, celestial mechanics is no longer a science of interest confined to a small group of astronomers and mathematicians; it becomes a special engineering technique. I have tried to set this book in this new perspective, by severely limiting the choice of examples from classical celestial mechanics and by retaining only those useful in calculating the trajectory of a body in space. The main chapter in this book is the fifth, where a detailed solution is given of the problem of motion of an artificial satellite in the Earth's gravitational field, using the methods of Von Zeipel and of Brouwer. It is shown how Lagrange's equations can be applied to this problem. The first four chapters contain proofs of the main results useful for these two methods: the elliptical solution of the two-body problem and the basic algebra of celestial mechanics; some theorems of analytical mechanics; the Delaunay variables and the Lagrangian equations of variation of elements; the expansion of the disturbing function and the Bessel functions necessary for this expansion. The last two chapters are more descriptive in character. In them I have summarized briefly some of the classical theories of celestial mechanics, and have tried to show their distinctive characteristics without going into details.

The concept of infinity is one of the most important, and at the same time, one of the most mysterious concepts of science. Already in antiquity many philosophers and mathematicians pondered over its contradictory nature. In mathematics, the contradictions connected with infinity intensified after the creation, at the end of the 19th century, of the theory of infinite sets and the subsequent discovery, soon after, of paradoxes in this theory. At the time, many scientists ignored the paradoxes and used set theory extensively in their work, while others subjected set-theoretic methods in mathematics to harsh criticism. The debate intensified when a group of French mathematicians, who wrote under the pseudonym of Nicolas Bourbaki, tried to erect the whole edifice of mathematics on the single notion of a set. Some mathematicians greeted this attempt enthusiastically while others regarded it as an unnecessary formalization, an attempt to tear mathematics away from life-giving practical applications that sustain it. These differences notwithstanding, Bourbaki has had a significant influence on the evolution of mathematics in the twentieth century. In this book we try to tell the reader how the idea of the infinite arose and developed in physics and in mathematics, how the theory of infinite sets was constructed, what paradoxes it has led to, what significant efforts have been made to eliminate the resulting contradictions, and what routes scientists are trying to find that would provide a way out of the many difficulties.

The present NATO Advanced Study Institute held in CARGESE (Corsica) from Au- gust 8th to August 18th, 1989 was devoted to Hadronic Physics. We tried to give this school a key educational role in this new and rapidly developing interdisciplinary field. We hope that the combination of the lectures and the open atmosphere of scientific exchange and inquiry afforded by the Cargese format has provided a unique educational and scien- tific opportunity for students and has brought together all the relevant concepts and issues for frontier research in this field. We would like to express our gratitude to NATO for its generous financial support which made this Institute possible. We also wish to thank Dr. Luis V. Da Cunha, Director of the Scientific Affairs Division, for his valuable comments and advice. We acknowledge the support of the Institut de Physique Nucleaire et de Physique des Particules (France), the Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique (France), and the U.S. National Science Fundation, for the attribution of travel grants. Our special appreciation is due to Frederique Dykstra for her oustanding organiza- tional work throughout the preparation and duration of this conference It is also a pleasure to thank the Universite de Nice for making available the facilities of the Cargese Scientific Institute. The pictures of the lecturers included in the present volume were kindly provided by one of the participants, Dr.R.Janner.

The Ionospheric Institute of the National Observatory of Athens has had two interests in recent years: the study of the ionosphere and the study of the sun. In our previous Advanced Study Institutes in 1960, 1961, and 1962, we have em phasized the ionosphere. For the Advanced Study Institute of 1964, however, we invited Dr. Jules Aarons of the Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratories to collaborate in preparing and directing a program of studies of the sun, the moon, the planets, and the interplanetary medium. The lectures of this Advanced Study Institute form essentially an advanced course in radio astronomy. Without being a textbook on the matter, we feel that the present book can be considered as an excellent reference for those students starting their research work in the field of solar system radio astronomy. All lecturers tried to present their subjects in a simple form based upon their exten sive personal experience, but without emphasizing their personal research. We must recognize that it was an excellent achievement for them to keep their text exactly at the level indicated by the Program Director, and outlined by the gen eral program of Advanced Study Institutes of NATO. We are deeply grateful to all the invited scientists for their outstanding contributions in lecturing on their subjects in a clear and authoritative manner. The Scientific Affairs Division of NATO, in its aid to basic research, spon sors various programs. Among them is the Program of Advanced Study Institutes."

This book gathers the proceedings of a symposium on Dynamics of satellites which took place in Prague in May 1969 during the twelfth COSPAR meeting. This symposium was sponsored by the International Astronomical Union, the International Association of Geodesy, the International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics and COSPAR (Committee on Space Research). The organizing committee was composed of Dr. KOVALEVSKY chair man, Dr. Yu. V. BATRAKOV representing IAU, Dr. A. H. COOK for lAG, Dr. D. KING-HELE for COSPAR, Prof. M. Roy for IUTAM and Dr. ROSENBERG. I wish to take advantage of the opportunity to thank, on behalf of all the participants, the organizing committee members, Prof. BUCHAR, Dr. RAJSK: I and Dr. SEHNAL, for the kindness and efficiency of their welcome. The interpreters who translated with virtuosity during the whole symposium also deserve our gratitude. I am grateful also for the care and skill with which Springer-Verlag has printed this volume."

Part B of Planetary Astronomy from the Renaissance to the Rise of Astrophysics continues the history of celestial mechanics and observational discovery through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It provides a synoptic view of the main developments and furnishes details about the lives, ideas, and interactions of the various astronomers involved. Twelve different authors have contributed their expertise to this book that begins with the reception of Newton's inverse-square law. In the remainder, a large place is given to the development of the mathematical theory of celestial mechanics from Clairaut and Euler to LeVerrier, Newcomb, Hill, and Poincare. This emphasis is balanced by other chapters on observational discoveries and the rapprochement of observation and theory (for instance, the discovery of Uranus and the asteroids, use of Venus transits to refine solar parallax, introduction of the method of least squares, and the development of planetary and satellite ephemerides). Lists of "Further Reading" provide entree to the literature of the several topics. This book will be of great interest to historians of science and astronomers.

Ptolemy was the most important physical scientist of the Roman Empire, and for a millennium and a half his writings on astronomy, astrology, and geography were models for imitation, resources for new work, and targets of criticism. Ptolemy in Perspective traces reactions to Ptolemy from his own times to ours. The nine studies show the complex processes by which an ancient scientist and his work gained and subsequently lost an overreaching reputation and authority.

This volume is a collection of experimental and theoretical papers presented at the international "Topical Meeting on Optical Bistability," held at the University of Rochester, June 15-17, 1983, sponsored jointly by the Air Force Office of Scientific Re search; the Army Research Office; and the Optical Society of America. The Conference, which had 150 attendees, overlapped (on June 15) with the Fifth Rochester Conference on Coherence and Quantum Optics with two joint sessions. Some of the topics cover ed in this volume are also treated io the Proceedings of that Conference. Since the last international conference on Optical Bistability, held in Asheville, North Carolina, June 3-5, 1980, there have been new and important fundamental advances in the field. This is borne out in papers in this volume dealing with optical chaos and period doubling bifurcations leading to chaos as well as the report of results of an experiment using a very simple system exhibiting ab sorptive optical bistability in a ring cavity using optically pump ed sodium atoms, which was successfully analyzed quantitatively by a simple theory. Other advances discussed here include the ob servation of optical bistability due to the effect of radiation pressure on one mirror of a fabry-Perot cavity. and the prediction of mirrorless intrinsic opittal bistability due to the local field correction incorporated into the Maxwell-Bloch formulation. Advances in optical bistability in semiconductors relate closer to actual device applications."

What is unorthodox in this book? Much has happened in the last few years, especially in terms of the somewhat surpris ing rate at which the theories presented herein have been gaining increasing acceptance and support even by the most skeptical professionals. Nevertheless, the purpose of this up-dated Preface is not to tell the biographical and acceptance story behind this book, but to bring together some non-physical and non technical conclusions for those readers who find the physico-mathematical sections of this book too difficult to follow. A secondary purpose is to present here some newer conclu sions, especially in general philosophy and in aesthetics. Yet, the main physico philosophical conclusions presented in this book are not to be summarized here. For that purpose one must tum to the text itself. * * * The theories presented here have been developed in total isolation. They were never presented in "professional conferences," as most current writers do. Whether or not that was important remains to be seen. Hence, all I can state to critics and enthusiastic follow ers alike is the fact that I do not belong to any 'formal discipline', 'pressure group', or 'pro fessional organization'."

Optics is reborn. There is fresh new vitality in applying old techniques to new prob lems and fully exploring novel phenomena. Lasers, holography, stellar navigation, nonlinear phenomena, and remote sensing are subjects of the seventies, and their further development will increase our understanding of nature and the development of technology. This Series is devoted to provid ing ideas and data to nourish the growth of these scientific and engineering en deavors' for we feel strongly that science and engineering flourish best when they grow together. Some of the volumes in the Series will be devoted to the optical properties of materials, theories of the detailed mechanisms of absorption, reflection, and nonlinea r phenomena, and electro-optical coefficients. The understanding of such things leads to further engineering applications. Companions to such theoretical books will be compendia of property data; the triad is completed by monographs on the use of the materials in op tical and electro-optical systems. Laser materials, lasers, and laser sys tems form one of the groups which will comprise the full set of ready-reference material for the entire field. The Series will be intentionally international, including a fair sampling of Russian work. There are important benefits to be obtained in the alternate approaches often taken by our Soviet and other foreign colleagues (just as they can gain from studying ours)."

A hilarious guide to what's real (and what's not) in our vast, beautiful (and terrifying) universe.

Embark on a cosmic journey through Cosmic Bullsh*t: A Guide to the Galaxy's Worst Life Hacks and uncover the real science behind some of the greatest lies society loves to tell us! Apologies to everyone who makes major life decisions based on their newspaper horoscope, but astrology isn't real and stars and planets don't give a sh*t about us. Planning a vacation to Roswell to finally discover the truth about aliens that the government has been hiding? Bad news--aliens were never here, and they aren't coming, either. Put on your myth-busting goggles and dig into Cosmic Bullsh*t for a nice, healthy dose of fascinating facts to cure the misinformation sickness so many of us are suffering from. Quantum physicist and bestselling science author Chris Ferrie explains:

• Why creation myths are bullsh*t and why humans have loved them for millennia anyway
• The misconceptions surrounding extraterrestrial life and why little green men aren't knocking on our door (spoiler alert: it's not because they're shy)
• The paradoxes and pitfalls of time travel
• How to brace yourself for the ultimate cosmic finale as we contemplate the fate of the universe
• And much more!