The Workshop "Science with the VLT in the ELT Era" held in Garching from 8th to 12th October 2007 was organised by ESO, with support from its Scienti c and Technical Committee, to provide a forum for the astronomical community to debate the long term future of ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) and its interferometric mode (VLTI). In particular it was considered useful for future planning to evaluate how its science use may evolve over the next decade due to competition and/or synergy with new facilities such as ALMA, JWST and, hopefully, at least one next generation 30-40 m extremely large telescope whose acronym appears in the title to symbolise this wider context. These discussions were also held in the fresh light of the Science Vision recently developed within ASTRONET as the rst step towards a 20 year plan for implementing astronomical facilities-the rst such attempt within Europe. Speci c ideas and proposals for new, second generation VLT/I instruments were also solicited following a tradition set by several earlier Workshops held since the start of the VLT development. The programme consisted of invited talks and reviews and contributed talks and posters. Almost all those given are included here although, unfortunately not the several lively but constructive discussion sessions.

This book looks at answers to the biggest questions in astronomy - the questions of how the planets, stars, galaxies and the universe were formed. Over the last decade, a revolution in observational astronomy has produced possible answers to three of these questions. This book describes this revolution. The one question for which we still do not have an answer is the question of the origin of the universe. In the final chapter, the author looks at the connection between science and philosophy and shows how new scientific results have laid the groundwork for the first serious scientific studies of the origin of the universe.

The contemporary theoretical physics consists, by and large, of two independent parts. The rst is the quantum theory describing the micro-world of elementary p- ticles, the second is the theory of gravity that concerns properties of macroscopic systems such as stars, galaxies, and the universe. The relativistic theory of gr- itation which is known as general relativity was created, at the beginning of the last century, by more or less a single man from pure idea combinations and bold guessing. The task was to "marry" the theory of gravity with the theory of special relativity. The rst attempts were aimed at considering the gravitational potential as a eld in Minkowski space-time. All those attempts failed; it took 10 years until Einstein nally solved the problem. The dif culty was that the old theory of gravity as well as the young theory of special relativity had to be modi ed. The next 50 years were dif cult for this theory because its experimental basis remained weak and its complicated mathematical structure was not well understood. However, in the subsequent period this theory ourished. Thanks to improvements in the te- nology and to the big progress in the methods of astronomical observations, the amount of observable facts to which general relativity is applicable was consid- ably enlarged. This is why general relativity is, today, one of the best experimentally tested theories while many competing theories could be disproved. Also the conc- tual and mathematical fundamentals are better understood now.

In 1997, contrary to the ruling paradigm which was that of a dark matter ?lled, decelerating universe, my work pointed to a dark energydriven- celerating universe with a small cosmological constant. Moreover, the many supposedly accidental Large Number relations in cosmology, including the mysterious Weinbergformula were now deduced from the theory. Obser- tionalcon?rmationforthisscenariocamein1998, whiledarkenergyitselfwas ?nally recon?rmed in 2003, thanks to the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. The 1997, and subsequent work was the consequence of mainly three cons- erations: dark energy or the well known Zero Point Field, fuzzy spacetime and ?uctuations. Indeed String Theory and Quantum Gravity approaches have had to discard the smooth spacetime of General Relativity and Qu- tum Field Theory, in a quest for a uni?ed description of these two pillars of twentieth century physics. This book is the result of some seventy ?ve papers published in international journals, andpartlyanearlierbook,"TheChaoticUniverse: FromthePlanck to the Hubble Scale" (Nova Science, New York, 2001), as also several lectures delivered in Universities and institutes in the United States, Canada and - rope. It describes how, in a simple and somewhat conventional framework, an underpinning of Planck scale oscillators in the ubiquitous Zero Point Field or dark energy leads to a uni?ed description of phenomena involving elementary particles and the cosmos. In particular, apart from the cosmology mentioned above, these considerations lead to a uni?ed description of all interactions, includinggravitation, thoughinanextended gauge ?eld treatment.

Dark matter research is one of the most fascinating and active fields among current high-profile scientific endeavours. It holds the key to all major breakthroughs to come in the fields of cosmology and astroparticle physics. The present volume is particularly concerned with the sources and the detection of dark matter and dark energy in the universe and will prove to be an invaluable research tool for all scientists who work in this field.

Bell's Theorem and its associated implications for the nature of the physical world remain topics of great interest. For this reason many meetings have been recently held on the interpretation of quantum theory and the implications of Bell's Theorem. Generally these meetings have been held primarily for quantum physicists and philosophers of science who have been or are actively working on the topic. Nevertheless, other philosophers of science, mathematicians, engineers as well as members of the general public have increasingly taken interest in Bell's Theorem and its implications. The Fall Workshop held at George Mason University on October 21 and 22, 1988 and titled "Bell's Theorem, Quantum Theory and Conceptions of the Universe" was of a more general scope. Not only it attracted experts in the field, it also covered other topics such as the implications of quantum non-locality for the nature of consciousness, cosmology, the anthropic principle, etc. topics usually not covered in previous meetings of this kind. The meeting was attended by more than one hundred ten specialists and other interested people from all over the world. The purpose of the meeting was not to provide a definitive answer to the general questions raised by Bell's Theorem. It is likely that the debate will go on for quite a long time. Rather, it was meant to contribute to the important dialogue between different disciplines.

From the reviews: "This attractive book provides an account of the theory of special relativity from a geometrical viewpoint, explaining the unification and insights that are given by such a treatment. [ ] Can be read with profit by all who have taken a first course in relativity physics." ASLIB Book Guide

This book covers the proceedings of "The Future of Life and the Future of our Civilization" symposium, held in Frankfurt, Germany in May 2005.

The workshop on The Cosmology of Extra Dimensions and Varying Fundamental Constants, which was part of JENAM 2002, was held at the Physics Department of the University of Porto (FCUP) from the 3rd to the 5th of September 2002. It was regularly attended by about 110 participants, of which 65 were officially registered in the VFC workshop, while the others came from the rest of the JENAM workshops. There were also a few science correspondents from the national and international press. During the 3 days of the scientific programme, 8 Invited Reviews and 30 Oral Communications were presented. The speakers came from 11 different European countries, and also from Argentina, Australia, Canada, Japan and the U.S.A. There were also speakers from six Portuguese research institutions, and nine of the speak ers were Ph.D. students. The contributions are presented in these proceedings in chronological order. The workshop brought together string theorists, particle physicists, theoretical and observational cosmologists, relativists and observational astrophysicists. It was generally agreed that this inter-disciplinarity was the greatest strength of the work shop, since it provided people coming into this very recent topic from the various different backgrounds with an opportunity to understand each other's language and thereby gain a more solid understanding of the overall picture."

Special and General Relativity are concisely developed together with essential aspects of nuclear and particle physics. Problem sets are provided for many chapters, making the book ideal for a course on the physics of white dwarf and neutron star interiors. Norman K. Glendenning is Senior Scientist Emeritus at the Nuclear Science Division, Institute for Nuclear and Particle Astrophysics, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of numerous books.

This book offers a presentation of the special theory of relativity that is mathematically rigorous and yet spells out in considerable detail the physical significance of the mathematics. It treats, in addition to the usual menu of topics one is accustomed to finding in introductions to special relativity, a wide variety of results of more contemporary origin. These include Zeeman's characterization of the causal automorphisms of Minkowski spacetime, the Penrose theorem on the apparent shape of a relativistically moving sphere, a detailed introduction to the theory of spinors, a Petrov-type classification of electromagnetic fields in both tensor and spinor form, a topology for Minkowski spacetime whose homeomorphism group is essentially the Lorentz group, and a careful discussion of Dirac's famous Scissors Problem and its relation to the notion of a two-valued representation of the Lorentz group. This second edition includes a new chapter on the de Sitter universe which is intended to serve two purposes. The first is to provide a gentle prologue to the steps one must take to move beyond special relativity and adapt to the presence of gravitational fields that cannot be considered negligible. The second is to understand some of the basic features of a model of the empty universe that differs markedly from Minkowski spacetime, but may be recommended by recent astronomical observations suggesting that the expansion of our own universe is accelerating rather than slowing down. The treatment presumes only a knowledge of linear algebra in the first three chapters, a bit of real analysis in the fourth and, in two appendices, some elementary point-set topology. The first edition of the book received the 1993 CHOICE award for Outstanding Academic Title. Reviews of first edition: ..". a valuable contribution to the pedagogical literature which will be enjoyed by all who delight in precise mathematics and physics." (American Mathematical Society, 1993) "Where many physics texts explain physical phenomena by means of mathematical models, here a rigorous and detailed mathematical development is accompanied by precise physical interpretations." (CHOICE, 1993) ..". his talent in choosing the most significant results and ordering them within the book can't be denied. The reading of the book is, really, a pleasure." (Dutch Mathematical Society, 1993)

The relation between quantum theory and the theory of gravitation remains one of the most outstanding unresolved issues of modern physics. According to general expectation, general relativity as well as quantum (field) theory in a fixed background spacetime cannot be fundamentally correct. Hence there should exist a broader theory comprising both in appropriate limits, i.e., quantum gravity. This book gives readers a comprehensive introduction accessible to interested non-experts to the main issues surrounding the search for quantum gravity. These issues relate to fundamental questions concerning the various formalisms of quantization; specific questions concerning concrete processes, like gravitational collapse or black-hole evaporation; and the all important question concerning the possibility of experimental tests of quantum-gravity effects.

General relativity ranks among the most accurately tested fundamental theories in all of physics. Deficiencies in mathematical and conceptual understanding still exist, hampering further progress. This book collects surveys by experts in mathematical relativity writing about the current status of, and problems in, their fields. There are four contributions for each of the following mathematical areas: differential geometry and differential topology, analytical methods and differential equations, and numerical methods.

Recently, analogies between laboratory physics (e.g. quantum optics and condensed matter) and gravitational/cosmological phenomena such as black holes have attracted an increasing interest. This book contains a series of selected lectures devoted to this new and rapidly developing field. Various analogies connecting (apparently) different areas in physics are presented in order to bridge the gap between them and to provide an alternative point of view.

This volume provides a detailed discussion of the mathematical aspects and the physical applications of a new geometrical structure of space-time, based on a generalization ("deformation") of the usual Minkowski space, as supposed to be endowed with a metric whose coefficients depend on the energy.

Such a formalism (Deformed Special Relativity, DSR) allows one

• to account for breakdown of local Lorentz invariance in the usual, special-relativistic meaning (however, Lorentz invariance is recovered in a generalized sense)
• to provide an effective geometrical description of the four fundamental interactions (electromagnetic, weak, strong and gravitational)

Moreover, the four-dimensional energy-dependent space-time is just a manifestation of a larger, five-dimensional space in which energy plays the role of a fifth (non-compactified) dimension. This new five-dimensional scheme (Deformed Relativity in Five Dimensions, DR5) represents a true generalization of the usual Kaluza-Klein (KK) formalism.

The mathematical properties of such a generalized KK scheme are illustrated. They include the solutions of the five-dimensional Einstein equations in vacuum in most cases of physical relevance, the infinitesimal symmetries of the theory for the phenomenological metrics of the four interactions, and the study of the five-dimensional geodesics.

The mathematical results concerning the geometry of the deformed five-dimensional spacetime (like its Killing symmetries) can be applied also to other multidimensional theories with infinite extra dimensions. Some experiments providing preliminary evidence for the hypothesized deformation of space-time for all the four fundamental interactions are discussed.

Some 25 years after the birth of inflationary cosmology, this volume sets out to provide both an authoritative and pedagogical introduction and review of the current state of the field. Readers learn about the arguments supporting the many different scenarios of cosmic inflation. Articles are written by eminent scientists, many of whom have made pioneering contributions to the field of inflationary cosmology.

The observation, in 1919 by A.S. Eddington and collaborators, of the gra- tational de?ection of light by the Sun proved one of the many predictions of Einstein's Theory of General Relativity: The Sun was the ?rst example of a gravitational lens. In 1936, Albert Einstein published an article in which he suggested - ing stars as gravitational lenses. A year later, Fritz Zwicky pointed out that galaxies would act as lenses much more likely than stars, and also gave a list of possible applications, as a means to determine the dark matter content of galaxies and clusters of galaxies. It was only in 1979 that the ?rst example of an extragalactic gravitational lens was provided by the observation of the distant quasar QSO 0957+0561, by D. Walsh, R.F. Carswell, and R.J. Weymann. A few years later, the ?rst lens showing images in the form of arcs was detected. The theory, observations, and applications of gravitational lensing cons- tute one of the most rapidly growing branches of astrophysics. The gravi- tional de?ection of light generated by mass concentrations along a light path producesmagni?cation,multiplicity,anddistortionofimages,anddelaysp- ton propagation from one line of sight relative to another. The huge amount of scienti?c work produced over the last decade on gravitational lensing has clearly revealed its already substantial and wide impact, and its potential for future astrophysical applications.

This excellent textbook offers a unique take on relativity theory, setting it in its historical context. Ideal for those interested in relativity and the history of physics, the book contains a complete account of special relativity that begins with the historical analysis of the reasons that led to a change in our view of space and time. Its aim is to foster a deep understanding of relativistic spacetime and its consequences for Dynamics.

Bad Hofgastein who made the very successful Salzburger Abend with indi- nous music from Salzburg possible. Special thanks also to the former director of the Institute of Astronomy in Vienna, Prof. Paul Jackson for his generous private donation. We should not forget our hosts Mr. and Mrs. Winkler and their employees from the hotel who made the stay quite enjoyable. None of us will forget the very last evening, when the staff of kitchen under the le- ership of the cook himself came to offer us as farewell the famous Salzburger Nockerln, a traditional Austrian dessert. Everyone got a lot of scienti?c input during the lectures and the discussions and, to summarize, we all had a spl- did week in Salzburg in the Hotel Winkler. We all hope to come again in 2008 to discuss new results and new perspectives on a high level scienti?c standard in the Gasteinertal. Rudolf Dvorak and Sylvio Ferraz-Mello Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy (2005) 92:1-18 (c) Springer 2005 DOI 10. 1007/s10569-005-3314-7 FROM ASTROMETRY TO CELESTIAL MECHANICS: ORBIT DETERMINATION WITH VERY SHORT ARCS (Heinrich K. Eichhorn Memorial Lecture) 1 2 ? ' ANDREA MILANI and ZORAN KNEZEVIC 1 Department of Mathematics, University of Pisa, via Buonarroti 2, 56127 Pisa, Italy, e-mail: milani@dm. unipi. it 2 Astronomical Observatory, Volgina 7, 11160 Belgrade 74, Serbia and Montenegro, e-mail: zoran@aob. bg. ac.

Here it is, in a nutshell: the history of one genius 's most crucial work discoveries that were to change the face of modern physics. In the early 1900s, Albert Einstein formulated two theories that would forever change the landscape of physics: the Special Theory of Relativity and the General Theory of Relativity. Respected American academic Professor Tai Chow tells us the story of these discoveries. He details the basic ideas of Einstein, including his law of gravitation. Deftly employing his inimitable writing style, he goes on to explain the physics behind black holes, weaving into his account an explanation of the structure of the universe and the science of cosmology.

This volume is intended as a systematic introduction to gauge field theory for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in high energy physics. The discussion is restricted to the classical (non-quantum) theory in Minkowski spacetime. Particular attention has been given to conceptual aspects of field theory, accurate definitions of basic physical notions, and thorough analysis of exact solutions to the equations of motion for interacting systems.

In 1919 the Prussian Ministry of Science, Arts and Culture opened a dossier on "Einstein's Theory of Relativity." It was rediscovered by the author in 1961 and is used in conjunction with numerous other subsequently identified 'Einstein' files as the basis of this fascinating book. In particular, the author carefully scrutinizes Einstein's FBI file from 1950-55 against mostly unpublished material from European including Soviet sources and presents hitherto unknown documentation on Einstein's alleged contacts with the German Communist Party and the Comintern. Siegfried Grundmann's thorough study of Einstein's participation on a committee of the League of Nations, based on archival research in Geneva, is also new.

This book outlines Einstein's image in politics and German science policy. It covers the period from his appointment as a researcher in Berlin to his fight abroad against the "boycott of German science" after World War I and his struggle at home against attacks on "Jewish physics" of which he was made a prime target. An important gap in the literature on Einstein is thus filled, contributing much new material toward a better understanding of Einstein's so rigorous break with Germany.

This book aims to span the cultural differences separating the humanities from the natural sciences. In his exposition, the author goes well beyond the typical level found in popular science presentations. There is a separate chapter devoted to the mathematical fundamentals needed for understanding many concepts in physics.

This book describes a paradigm change in modern physics from the philosophy and mathematical expression of the quantum theory to those of general relativity. The approach applies to all domains - from elementary particles to cosmology. The change is from the positivistic views in which atomism, nondeterminism and measurement are fundamental, to a holistic view in realism, wherein matter - electrons, galaxies, - are correlated modes of a single continuum, the universe. A field that unifies electromagnetism, gravity and inertia is demonstrated explicitly, with new predictions, in terms of quaternion and spinor field equations in a curved spacetime. Quantum mechanics emerges as a linear, flatspace approximation for the equations of inertia in general relativity.

The Evolution of Complexity is addressed to a broad audience of academics and researchers from different disciplines, who are interested in the picture of our world emerging from the new sciences of complexity. This book reviews the new concepts proposed by the diverse theories of evolution, self-organisation, general systems, cybernetics, and the complex adaptive systems' approach pioneered by the Santa Fe institute. The thread which holds everything together is the growth of complexity during the history of the universe: from elementary particles, via atoms, molecules, living cells, multicellular organisms, plants, and animals to human beings, and societies. The different sections of the book discuss the foundations and philosophy of complexity evolution, its mathematical and computer models, its explanation of self-organising and living systems, the insights it provides into the origin of mind, language and culture, and its practical applications in areas such as management and system design.