Understanding the Universe. The Physics of the Cosmos from Quasars to Quarks

Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Table of Contents
Author
Chapter 1 Quasars to Quarks
	1.1 Cosmology and Particle Physics
	1.2 Understanding How the Universe Works
Chapter 2 The Physical World
	2.1 The World of Atoms
		2.1.1 Atomic Components
		2.1.2 Molecules and States of Matter
	2.2 The World in Motion
		2.2.1 Describing Motion
		2.2.2 Motion in a Circle
		2.2.3 Newton’s Laws of Motion
		2.2.4 Relativistic Motion
	2.3 The World of Energy
	2.4 The World of Light
Part I The Small-Scale Universe
	Chapter 3 Quantized Energy
		3.1 The Quantum World
		3.2 The Spectral Fingerprint of Hydrogen
		3.3 The Energy of an Atom
		3.4 Energy Levels and Transitions
		3.5 The Energy Levels of the Hydrogen Atom
		3.6 Quantum States and Quantum Numbers
		3.7 Energy Levels in General
	Chapter 4 Quantum Uncertainty
		4.1 Indeterminacy and Probability
		4.2 Modelling Atoms
		4.3 The Uncertainty Principle
		4.4 Quantum Technology
	Chapter 5 Atoms
		5.1 Atoms and Ions with One Electron
		5.2 Atoms and Ions with Two Electrons
		5.3 Atoms with Three or More Electrons
		5.4 The Periodic Table of the Elements
	Chapter 6 Nuclei
		6.1 Mass and Energy
		6.2 Alpha-Decay
		6.3 Beta-Decay
		6.4 Gamma-Decay
		6.5 Half-Life
		6.6 Nuclear Fission
		6.7 Nuclear Fusion
	Chapter 7 Particles
		7.1 Leptons
		7.2 Quarks
		7.3 High-Energy Reactions
		7.4 A Summary of the Universe at Small Scales
Part II The Large-Scale Universe
	Chapter 8 Observing the Universe
		8.1 Telescopes
			8.1.1 Refracting Telescopes
			8.1.2 Reflecting Telescopes
			8.1.3 The Characteristics of Astronomical Telescopes
		8.2 Astronomical Detectors
			8.2.1 Photometry
			8.2.2 Spectroscopy
		8.3 Beyond the Visible
			8.3.1 Radio Astronomy
			8.3.2 Radio Telescopes
			8.3.3 Radio Interferometry
		8.4 Astronomy at High Energies
			8.4.1 X-Ray and Gamma-Ray Astronomy
			8.4.2 X-Ray and Gamma-Ray Telescopes
			8.4.3 High-Energy Photon Detectors
		8.5 Multi-Messenger Astrophysics
	Chapter 9 The Expanding Universe
		9.1 The Distances to Galaxies
			9.1.1 Geometrical Methods
			9.1.2 Flux and Luminosity
			9.1.3 Standard Candles
		9.2 The Apparent Speed of Galaxies
		9.3 The Hubble Relationship
		9.4 Expanding Space
		9.5 Strange Ideas
		9.6 The Age of the Universe
	Chapter 10 The Cooling Universe
		10.1 Black-Body Radiation
		10.2 The Cosmic Microwave Background
		10.3 The Hot Big Bang
Part III Universal Processes
	Chapter 11 Electromagnetic Interactions
		11.1 Electric and Magnetic Forces
		11.2 Electromagnetic Fields and Radiation
		11.3 Quantum Electrodynamics
	Chapter 12 Strong Interactions
		12.1 Quarks and Gluons
		12.2 Quantum Chromodynamics
	Chapter 13 Weak Interactions
		13.1 Comparisons between Fundamental Interactions
		13.2 W and Z Bosons
		13.3 The Survival of the Neutron
	Chapter 14 Gravitational Interactions
		14.1 Orbits and Kepler’s Laws
		14.2 Newton’s Gravity
		14.3 Einstein’s Gravity
		14.4 Tests of Curved Spacetime
		14.5 Gravitational Radiation
		14.6 Quantum Gravity
	Chapter 15 Unified Theories
		15.1 Electroweak Unification
		15.2 Grand Unification
		15.3 Superunification: Strings and Branes
Part IV The Universe through Time
	Chapter 16 The History of the Universe
		16.1 Time, Space, Temperature, and Energy
		16.2 The Very Early Universe
		16.3 Inflation
		16.4 The Quark–Lepton Era
		16.5 The Hadron Era
		16.6 Primordial Nucleosynthesis
		16.7 Structure in the Universe
	Chapter 17 The Universe Today
		17.1 Large-Scale Structure
		17.2 Active Galaxies
		17.3 The Milky Way and Other Galaxies
		17.4 The Formation of Stars and Planets
		17.5 The Evolution of Stars
			17.5.1 Life on the Main Sequence
			17.5.2 Post-Main Sequence Evolution
			17.5.3 Stellar Death
			17.5.4 Accreting Compact Binary Stars
		17.6 The Solar System
			17.6.1 The Sun
			17.6.2 Terrestrial Planets and Asteroids
			17.6.3 Giant Planets and Their Satellites
			17.6.4 The Outer Limits
		17.7 Exoplanets and How to Find Them
			17.7.1 The Radial Velocity Technique
			17.7.2 The Transit Technique
			17.7.3 Exoplanetary Systems
		17.8 Life in the Universe
			17.8.1 The Drake Equation
			17.8.2 The Fermi Paradox
			17.8.3 The Anthropic Principle
	Chapter 18 The Future of the Universe
		18.1 The Geometry of Space
		18.2 Open and Closed Universes
		18.3 A Clue from Supernovae
		18.4 Acceleration and Deceleration
		18.5 Matter and Energy in the Universe
		18.6 The Fate of the Universe
		18.7 Born out of Fire: An Alternative to the Big Bang
		
Book Summary
Acknowledgements
Appendix: A Timeline for Understanding the Universe
Index