From The Universe to The Elementary Particles

In this book, the author leads the reader, step by step and without any advanced mathematics, to a clear understanding of the foundations of modern elementary particle physics and cosmology. He also addresses current and controversial questions on topics such as string theory. The book contains gentle introductions to the theories of special and general relativity, and also classical and quantum field theory. The essential aspects of these concepts are understood with the help of simple calculations; for example, the force of gravity as a consequence of the curvature of the space-time.

In this corrected and enlarged edition of Börner's well respected textbook, you will find an up-to-date account of the interplay between particle physics and astrophysics upon which modern cosmology is founded. The author describes some of the theories which have been developed to model the fundamental interaction of elementary particles in the extremely high temperatures of the early universe, taking care to distinguish facts and well- established results from hypotheses and speculations.

The universe is the largest system of all. It consists of elementary particles bound together by gravitational, electromagnetic and nuclear forces. Its structural hierar­ chy in space (from atomic nuclei to supergalaxies) and its evolutionary sequence (from the fireball to the diversity of present forms) is governed by the properties of elementary particles and their interactions.

This book takes the reader for a short journey over the structures of matter showing that their main properties can be obtained even at a quantitative level with a minimum background knowledge. The latter, besides some high school physics and mathematics, consists of the three cornerstones of science presented in chapters 1 to 3, namely the atomic idea, the wave-particle duality, and the minimization of energy as the condition for equilibrium.

This fourth edition of Börner's "The Early Universe" is practically a new book, not just an updated version. In particular, to meet the wishes of many readers, it is now organized so as to make it more useful as a textbook. Problem sections are also added. In the center are the connections between particle physics and cosmology: the standard model, some basic implications of quantum field theory, and the questions of structure formation.