Since the last International Astronomical Union Symposium that dealt with matters cosmological, there have been dramatic advances, both on the observational and theoretical fronts. Modern high-efficiency detectors have made possible extensive magnitude-limited redshift surveys, which have permitted observational cosmologists to construct three-dimensional maps of large regions of space. What seems to emerge is a distribution of matter in extensive, flat, but probably filamentary, and possibly interconnected, superclusters, serving as interstices between vast voids in space. Meanwhile, theoretical ideas that were highly speculative a few years ago have begun to be taken seriously as possibly describing conditions in the very early universe. And brand new ideas, such as that of the inflationary universe, hold promise of solving outstanding observational, theoretical, and philosophical problems in cosmology. A new look at grand unified theories and concepts of supersymmetry have brought observational and theoretical cosmologists to a common meeting ground with modern particle physicists.

Inhalt

Keynote: Structure of the Universe.- X-Ray Sources of Cosmological Relevance.- THE e+-e- Annihilation Line and the Cosmic X-Ray Background.- QSO Surveys and Quasar Evolution.- Automated Quasar Detection.- The Asiago Catalogue of Quasi Stellar Objects.- The Quasar Redshift Limit.- Energy Distribution and Variability of BL LAC Objects. The cases of PKS 2155-304 and 3C 66A.- Long-Term Variability of Quasi-Stellar Objects, and Their Distribution in the Hubble Diagram.- Radio-Source Evolution and the Redshift Cut-Off.- A Model for the Cosmological Evolution of Radio Sources.- Quasar Galaxies: Two-Dimensional Image Deconvolutions.- QSO Luminosities at ? 1 MM.- QSO Redshift Limit and Periodicity in a FIB Universe.- Unbiased Searches for Quasars Beyond a Redshift of 3.5.- The Problem of the Redshifts.- The Evolution of the Radio Galaxy Population as Determined from Deep Radio-Optical Surveys.- A 6-CM Deep Sky Survey.- Near Infrared Photometry of Faint Radio Galaxies.- Near Infrared and Radio Observations of Distant Galaxies.- Studies of Faint Field Galaxies.- JF Photometry of Fourteen Distant Rich Clusters of Galaxies.- Color Distribution of Faint Galaxies and Quasi-Stellar Objects.- Spectroscopy of Distant Galaxies in Clusters.- A Redshift Survey of Very Faint (B?22.5) Field Galaxies, Radio Sources, and Quasars.- Spectral Energy Distributions of Galaxies in Moderate Redshift Clusters.- Distortion of the Microwave Background by Dust from Population III.- Was the Big Bang Hot?.- On Population III Star Formation.- Search for Small Scale Anisotropy of the 3K Emission of the Universe.- New Limits to the Small Scale Fluctuations in the Cosmic Background Radiation.- 10 to 60 Arcmin Fluctuations in the Cosmic Microwave Background.- Deep Radio Source Counts and Small Scale Fluctuations of the Microwave Background Radiation.- Measurement of the 3 K Cosmic Background Noise in the Far Infrared.- On the Large-Scale Anisotropy of the Cosmic Background Radiation in the Far Infrared.- Large-Scale Anisotropy at Centimeter Wavelengths.- Large-Scale Anisotropy of the Cosmic Relic Radiation in Spatially Open Cosmological Models.- Comments and Summary on the Cosmic Background Radiation.- Redshifts and Large Scale Structures.- The Center for Astrophysics Redshift Survey.- The Anglo-Australian Redshift Survey.- Catalogue of Radial Velocities of Galaxies.- The Southern Cluster Survey.- Catalogue of Clusters that are Members of Superclusters.- Characteristic Size of Superclusters.- Quasars and Superclusters.- Further Investigations on Possible Correlations between QSOs and the Lick Catalogue of Galaxies.- Survey of the Bootes Void.- On the Origin of the Voids.- Properties of Galaxies in Low Density Regions.- Dynamics of Voids and Clusters and Fluctuations in the Cosmic Background Radiation.- Condensations and Cavities.- Correlation Functions, Microwave Background, and Pancakes.- A Photometric and Morphological Investigation of Very Remote Clusters.- Supernovae as a Cosmological Tool.- Substructure in Clusters of Galaxies.- Filaments.- Morphology of the Local Supercluster.- The Kinematics of the Local Supercluster.- Superclusters as Nondissipative Pancakes.- The Motion of the Local Group of Galaxies with Respect to the Background of Galaxies.- Infall of Galaxies into the Virgo Cluster.- Diameters of HI Disks in Virgo Cluster - and Field Galaxies.- Evidence of Intrinsic Correlation between the Luminosity and the Velocity Dispersion in Galaxy Groups.- Structure of Neighboring Superclusters: A Quantitative Analysis.- The Perseus Supercluster.- The Ursa Major Supercluster.- Dynamics of Some Remote Superclusters.- A2197 + A2199 Supercluster Region.- The Indus Supercluster.- The Southwest Extension of the Perseus Supercluster.- The Horologium Supercluster.- Unseen Mass.- Neutrino Mass and Galaxy Formation.- Massive Neutrinos and Ultraviolet Astronomy.- What does the Dynamical Analysis of Clusters of Galaxies Tell Us about Massive Neutrinos?.- Multimass Models for Clusters of Galaxies.- Perturbations in the Universe with Massive "...Inos".- Black Holes and the Fate of a Closed Universe.- The [an] Isotropy of the X-Ray Sky.- Hot Accretion Disks and the High Energy Background.- X-Ray Observations of Active Galactic Nuclei.- QSO Absorption Lines.- Absorption Structure in the BL LAC Object 0215+015 at 20 Km S-1 Resolution.- High-Redshift Molecular Clouds and Absorption-Line Spectra of Quasars.- The Statistic Study of L? Absorption Lines.- Absorption-Line Spectroscopy of Close Pairs of QSOs.- Evolutionary Effect in Quasars as a Consequence of Galaxy Formation Process.- Are QSOs Gravitationally Lensed?.- Can All Quasars be Gravitationally Lensed SY's Nuclei?.- Statistical Analysis of Optically Variable QSOs and Bright Galaxies: A Hint for Gravitational Lenses?.- Nature of 'Unseen' Galactic Envelopes.- The Theory of Large-Scale Structure of the Universe: Local Properties and Global Topology.- Self-Similar Gravitational Clustering.- Monte-Carlo Simulations of the Distribution of Faint Galaxies.- Neighboring Superclusters and their Environs.- Numerical Experiments on Galaxy Clustering.- Relativistic Stellar Dynamics.- Spherical and Toroidal Local Black Holes.- Possible Contraction of the Members of the Binary Pulsar PSR 1913+16 and its Astrophysical Consequences.- Observational Tests of Baryon Symmetric Cosmology.- Particle Phase Transitions can Prevent an Initial Cosmological Singularity.- Acceleration and Dissolution of Stars in the Antibang.- Inflationary Universe, Primordial Sound Waves and Galaxy Formation.- Phase Transitions of Cosmological Vacuum and Primordial Black Holes.- Unified Gauge Theories and Galaxy Formation.- Physics of the BI-Partition of the Universe.- Causal Structure of the Early Universe.- R2 Gravity and the Structure of the Universe.- The Strong Equivalence Principle and its Violation.- The Role of Particle Physics in Cosmology and Galactic Astronomy.- Index of Names.- Index of Subjects.