Cosmic Strings and Other Topological Defects

Cosmic Strings and Other Topological Defects
Author: A. Vilenkin
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 584
Release: 1994
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780521654760

Comprehensive introduction to the role of cosmic strings and other topological defects in the universe.

Topological Defects and the Non-Equilibrium Dynamics of Symmetry Breaking Phase Transitions

Topological Defects and the Non-Equilibrium Dynamics of Symmetry Breaking Phase Transitions
Author: Yuriy M. Bunkov
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 70
Release: 2000-02-29
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780792362050

Topological defects formed at symmetry-breaking phase transitions play an important role in many different fields of physics. They appear in many condensed-matter systems at low temperature; examples include vortices in superfluid helium-4, a rich variety of defects in helium-3, quantized mag netic flux tubes in type-II superconductors, and disclination lines and other defects in liquid crystals. In cosmology, unified gauge theories of particle interactions suggest a sequence of phase transitions in the very early uni verse some of which may lead to defect formation. In astrophysics, defects play an important role in the dynamics of neutron stars. In 1997 the European Science Foundation started the scientific network "Topological defects" headed by Tom Kibble. This network has provided us with a unique opportunity of establishing a collaboration between the representatives of these very different branches of modern physics. The NATO-ASI (Advanced Study Institute), held in Les Houches in February 1999 thanks to the support of the Scientific Division of NATO, the European Science Foundation and the CNRS, represents a key event of this ESF network. It brought together participants from widely different fields, with diverse expertise and vocabulary, fostering the exchange of ideas. The lectures given by particle physicists, cosmologists and condensed matter physicists are the result of the fruitful collaborations established since 1997 between groups in several European countries and in the U.S.A.

Topological Defects In Cosmology

Topological Defects In Cosmology
Author: Francesco Melchiorri
Publisher: World Scientific
Total Pages: 302
Release: 1998-05-13
Genre:
ISBN: 9814546100

This book is devoted to one of the most relevant problems of modern cosmology: the formation of structures in the framework of big bang cosmology. The standard theory of gravitational instability has met with great success but has also encountered significant difficulties. In this book the alternative possibility offered by topological defects is explored in detail. A pedagogical introduction to the problem is given and several theoretical aspects of the problem are reviewed. Special emphasis is placed on the observable consequences of the presence of topological defects, and in particular their interaction with cosmic background radiation; other observable effects are also discussed. In addition, laboratory experiments on topological defects are dealt with. This book will, for a long time, serve as one of the best references, on the topic for students and researchers in cosmology.

Cosmological Physics

Cosmological Physics
Author: J. A. Peacock
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 700
Release: 1999
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780521422703

A comprehensive and authoritative introduction to contemporary cosmology for advanced undergraduate and graduate students.

Primordial Cosmology

Primordial Cosmology
Author: Patrick Peter
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 858
Release: 2013-02-14
Genre: Science
ISBN: 019966515X

This book provides an extensive survey of all the physics necessary to understand the current developments in the field of fundamental cosmology, as well as an overview of the observational data and methods. It will help students to get into research by providing definitions and main techniques and ideas discussed today. The book is divided into three parts. Part 1 summarises the fundamentals in theoretical physics needed in cosmology (general relativity, field theory, particle physics). Part 2 describes the standard model of cosmology and includes cosmological solutions of Einstein equations, the hot big bang model, cosmological perturbation theory, cosmic microwave background anisotropies, lensing and evidence for dark matter, and inflation. Part 3 describes extensions of this model and opens up current research in the field: scalar-tensor theories, supersymmetry, the cosmological constant problem and acceleration of the universe, topology of the universe, grand unification and baryogenesis, topological defects and phase transitions, string inspired cosmology including branes and the latest developments. The book provides details of all derivations and leads the student up to the level of research articles.

Inflationary Cosmology

Inflationary Cosmology
Author: Martin Lemoine
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 435
Release: 2007-10-12
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3540743537

Some 25 years after the birth of inflationary cosmology, this volume sets out to provide both an authoritative and pedagogical introduction and review of the current state of the field. Readers learn about the arguments supporting the many different scenarios of cosmic inflation. Articles are written by eminent scientists, many of whom have made pioneering contributions to the field of inflationary cosmology.

Physical Foundations of Cosmology

Physical Foundations of Cosmology
Author: Viatcheslav Mukhanov
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 454
Release: 2005-11-10
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1139447114

Inflationary cosmology has been developed over the last twenty years to remedy serious shortcomings in the standard hot big bang model of the universe. This textbook, first published in 2005, explains the basis of modern cosmology and shows where the theoretical results come from. The book is divided into two parts; the first deals with the homogeneous and isotropic model of the Universe, the second part discusses how inhomogeneities can explain its structure. Established material such as the inflation and quantum cosmological perturbation are presented in great detail, however the reader is brought to the frontiers of current cosmological research by the discussion of more speculative ideas. An ideal textbook for both advanced students of physics and astrophysics, all of the necessary background material is included in every chapter and no prior knowledge of general relativity and quantum field theory is assumed.

Quantum Fields

Quantum Fields
Author: Michael Kachelriess
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 546
Release: 2018
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0198802870

Coherent approach leading to a more comprehensive understanding of quantum field theory and cosmology. Includes discussion of a variety of applications, has numerous worked examples and problems, and is self-contained and suitable for self study.--

Topology And Physics

Topology And Physics
Author: Chen Ning Yang
Publisher: World Scientific
Total Pages: 231
Release: 2019-01-09
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9813278684

'The book is an engaging and influential collection of significant contributions from an assembly of world expert leaders and pioneers from different fields, working at the interface between topology and physics or applications of topology to physical systems … The book explores many interesting and novel topics that lie at the intersection between gravity, quantum fields, condensed matter, physical cosmology and topology … A rich, well-organized, and comprehensive overview of remarkable and insightful connections between physics and topology is here made available to the physics reader.'Contemporary PhysicsSince its birth in Poincaré's seminal 1894 'Analysis Situs', topology has become a cornerstone of mathematics. As with all beautiful mathematical concepts, topology inevitably — resonating with that Wignerian principle of the effectiveness of mathematics in the natural sciences — finds its prominent role in physics. From Chern-Simons theory to topological quantum field theory, from knot invariants to Calabi-Yau compactification in string theory, from spacetime topology in cosmology to the recent Nobel Prize winning work on topological insulators, the interactions between topology and physics have been a triumph over the past few decades.In this eponymous volume, we are honoured to have contributions from an assembly of grand masters of the field, guiding us with their world-renowned expertise on the subject of the interplay between 'Topology' and 'Physics'. Beginning with a preface by Chen Ning Yang on his recollections of the early days, we proceed to a novel view of nuclei from the perspective of complex geometry by Sir Michael Atiyah and Nick Manton, followed by an entrée toward recent developments in two-dimensional gravity and intersection theory on the moduli space of Riemann surfaces by Robbert Dijkgraaf and Edward Witten; a study of Majorana fermions and relations to the Braid group by Louis H Kauffman; a pioneering investigation on arithmetic gauge theory by Minhyong Kim; an anecdote-enriched review of singularity theorems in black-hole physics by Sir Roger Penrose; an adventure beyond anyons by Zhenghan Wang; an aperçu on topological insulators from first-principle calculations by Haijun Zhang and Shou-Cheng Zhang; finishing with synopsis on quantum information theory as one of the four revolutions in physics and the second quantum revolution by Xiao-Gang Wen. We hope that this book will serve to inspire the research community.