Cosmic Update - (Multiversal Journeys) by Fred Adams & Thomas Buchert & Laura Mersini-Houghton (Hardcover)

About the Book

Progress in precision cosmology has complicated our view of the universe, which now features anomalies such as 'dark energy' and the sheer improbability of the preconditions for the Big Bang. This book explores the subject in the context of quantum gravity.

Book Synopsis

Dark Energy and Dark Matter hidden in the Geometry of Space?.- The Arrow ot Time In a Universe with a Positive Cosmological Constant.- The Future History of the Universe.- The Return of a Static Universe and the End of Cosmology.

From the Back Cover

"...The Multiversal book series is equally unique, providing book-length extensions of the lectures with enough additional depth for those who truly want to explore these fields, while also providing the kind of clarity that is appropriate for interested lay people to grasp the general principles involved." - Lawrence M. Krauss

Cosmic Update covers:

• A novel approach to uncover the dark faces of the Standard Model of cosmology.
• The possibility that Dark Energy and Dark Matter are manifestations of the inhomogeneous geometry of our Universe.
• The history of cosmological model building and the general architecture of cosmological models.
• Illustrations of the Large Scale Structure of the Universe.
• A new perspective on the classical static Einstein Cosmos.
• Global properties of World Models including their Topology.
• The Arrow of Time in a Universe with a Positive Cosmological Constant.
• The exploration of the consequences of a fundamental Cosmological Constant for our Universe.
• The exploration of why the current observed acceleration of the Universe may not be its final destiny.
• A demonstration that nature forbids the existence of a pure Cosmological Constant.
• Our current understanding of the long term (in time scales that greatly exceed the current age of the Universe) future of the Universe.
• The long term fate and eventual destruction of the astrophysical objects that populate the universe -- including clusters, galaxies, stars, planets, and black holes.

The material is presented in a layperson-friendly language followed by additional technical sections which explain basic equations and principles. This feature is very attractive to readers who want to learn more about the theories involved beyond the basic description.

Multiversal Journeys^(TM) is a trademark of Farzad Nekoogar and Multiversal Journeys, a 501 (c) (3)nonprofit organization.

Review Quotes

From the reviews:

"The many ambitious aims of this book are: A noval approach to uncover the dark faces of the Standard Model of Cosmology. To present the global properties of World Models and their topology. To explain the arrow of time in a Universe with a positive cosmological constant Lambda and the consequences of Lambda for our Universe. ... Graduate students in physics with interest in astrophysics and cosmology can use the book ... . The Glossary is helpful for the beginner." (Johannes Viktor Feitzinger, Zentralblatt MATH, Vol. 1241, 2012)

"This book is a collection of three self-contained main contributions and an appendix, each from different authors, on current fundamental questions and new developments in cosmology. It is so structured that general readers can also follow the main ideas. The two longest chapters (written by Fred C. Adams and Thomas Buchert, respectively) contain appendices (at the level of an undergraduate textbook) with formulas specifying the basic descriptions." (Wolfgang Hasse, Mathematical Reviews, January, 2013)