The Universe

Dieses Lehrbuch gibt eine gelungene Einführung in die wichtigsten theoretischen Grundlagen zum Verständnis des Universums, von der Physik Newtons über weitere relevante Theorien bis hin zu der modernen Theorie der Quantengravitation.

Autorentext
Martin Bojowald teaches physics at the Pennsylvania State University, USA, and is a member of the Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos. Having received his Ph.D. degree from Aachen University, Germany, he has spent most of his time since at Penn State, except for a 2-year period at the Albert-Einstein-Institute in Potsdam, Germany. He has authored over 100 publications, including several popular articles and a couple of books. For his work in quantum cosmology he has received the First Award of the Essay Competition by the Gravity Research Foundation in 2003, and the Xanthopoulos Prize from the International Society on General Relativity and Gravitation in 2007.

Klappentext

Written by a well-known author in the field, this book presents a modern understanding of the universe based on relativity, quantum physics and their elusive combination. It introduces the crucial theoretical ingredients in an accessible way, starting from the physics of Newton and developing subsequent theories all the way to the modern enigma of quantum gravity. The intermediate level presentation assumes only a general knowledge of math and physics, adopting a two-level approach: equations are retained throughout the chapters but set apart from the main text in the boxes to allow for lay readers to understand the book.

Inhalt

1 The UniverseI 1

1.1 Newtonian Gravity 1

1.2 Planets and Stars 43

1.3 Cosmology 52

2 Relativity 61

2.1 Classical Mechanics and Electrodynamics 61

2.2 Special Relativity 74

2.3 General Relativity 134

3 The UniverseII 173

3.1 Planets and Stars 174

3.2 Black Holes 190

3.3 Cosmology 201

4 Quantum Physics 217

4.1 Waves 218

4.2 States 235

4.3 Measurements 264

5 The Universe III 283

5.1 Stars 284

5.2 Elements 290

5.3 Particles 296

6 Quantum Gravity 305

6.1 Quantum Cosmology 308

6.2 Unification 312

6.3 Space-Time Atoms 324

7 The Universe IV 339

7.1 Big Bang 340

7.2 Black Holes 347

7.3 Tests 351

Acknowledgement 357

Index 359