Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 Overview: Galaxies and Cosmology
- 2 Galactic Structure and Dynamics
- 3 Friedmann Model of the Universe
- 4 Thermal History of the Universe
- 5 Structure Formation
- 6 Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation
- 7 Formation of Baryonic Structures
- 8 Active Galactic Nuclei
- 9 Intergalactic Medium and Absorption Systems
- 10 Cosmological Observations
- Notes and References
- Index
Preface
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 Overview: Galaxies and Cosmology
- 2 Galactic Structure and Dynamics
- 3 Friedmann Model of the Universe
- 4 Thermal History of the Universe
- 5 Structure Formation
- 6 Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation
- 7 Formation of Baryonic Structures
- 8 Active Galactic Nuclei
- 9 Intergalactic Medium and Absorption Systems
- 10 Cosmological Observations
- Notes and References
- Index
Summary
From where has this Creation sprung? Who holds or does not hold?
He who is its Surveyer in the highest heaven, He alone knows
And yet maybe He doth not know?
— Rig Veda, Verse 10.129.7.During the past decade or so, theoretical astrophysics has emerged as one of the most active research areas in physics. This advance has also been reflected in the greater interdisciplinary nature of research that has been carried out in this area in recent years. As a result, those who are learning theoretical astrophysics with the aim of making a research career in this subject need to assimilate a considerable amount of concepts and techniques, in different areas of astrophysics, in a short period of time. Every area of theoretical astrophysics, of course, has excellent textbooks that allow the reader to master that particular area in a well-defined way. Most of these textbooks, however, are written in a traditional style that focusses on one area of astrophysics (say stellar evolution, galactic dynamics, radiative processes, cosmology, etc.). Because different authors have different perspectives regarding their subject matter, it is not very easy for a student to understand the key unifying principles behind several different astrophysical phenomena by studying a plethora of separate textbooks, as they do not link up together as a series of core books in theoretical astrophysics covering everything that a student would need.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Theoretical Astrophysics , pp. xiii - xviiiPublisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2002