99,214 research outputs found
Dark Matter in Modern Cosmology
The presence of Dark Matter (DM) is required in the universe regulated by the
standard general relativistic theory of gravitation. The nature of DM is
however still elusive to any experimental search. We discuss here the process
of accumulation of evidence for the presence of DM in the universe, the
astrophysical probes for the leading DM scenarios that can be obtained through
a multi-frequency analysis of cosmic structures on large scales, and the
strategies related to the multi-messenger and multi-experiment astrophysical
search for the nature of the DM.Comment: 25 pages, 9 figures. Updated version of the review included in
ASTROPHYSICS AND COSMOLOGY AFTER GAMOW: Proceedings of the 4th Gamow
International Conference on Astrophysics and Cosmology After Gamow and the
9th Gamow Summer School "Astronomy and Beyond: Astrophysics, Cosmology, Radio
Astronomy, High Energy Physics and Astrobiology". AIP Conference Proceedings,
Volume 1206, p.
Modern Cosmology: Assumptions and Limits
Physical cosmology tries to understand the Universe at large with its origin
and evolution. Observational and experimental situations in cosmology do not
allow us to proceed purely based on the empirical means. We examine in which
sense our cosmological assumptions in fact have shaped our current cosmological
worldview with consequent inevitable limits. Cosmology, as other branches of
science and knowledge, is a construct of human imagination reflecting the
popular belief system of the era. The question at issue deserves further
philosophic discussions. In Whitehead's words, "philosophy, in one of its
functions, is the critic of cosmologies". (Whitehead 1925)Comment: 4 pages, published in JKAS, 45, 65 (2012
The structure and interpretation of cosmology: Part II - The concept of creation in inflation and quantum cosmology
The purpose of the paper, of which this is part II, is to review, clarify,
and critically analyse modern mathematical cosmology. The emphasis is upon
mathematical objects and structures, rather than numerical computations. Part
II provides a critical analysis of inflationary cosmology and quantum
cosmology, with particular attention to the claims made that these theories can
explain the creation of the universe
Dogmatism and Theoretical Pluralism in Modern Cosmology
This work discusses the presence of a dogmatic tendency within modern
cosmology, and some ideas capable of neutralizing its negative influence. It is
verified that warnings about the dangers of dogmatic thinking in cosmology can
be found as early as the 1930's, and we discuss the modern appearance of
"scientific dogmatism". The solution proposed to counteract such an influence,
which is capable of neutralizing this dogmatic tendency, has its origins in the
philosophical thinking of the Austrian physicist Ludwig Boltzmann (1844-1906).
In particular we use his two main epistemological theses, scientific theories
as representations of nature and theoretical pluralism, to show that once they
are embodied in the research practice of modern cosmology, there is no longer
any reason for dogmatic behaviours.Comment: 14 pages; LaTeX sourc
Physics of Primordial Universe
The physical basis of the modern cosmological inflationary models with
baryosynthesis and nonbaryonic dark matter and energy implies such predictions
of particle theory, that, in turn, apply to cosmology for their test. It makes
physics of early Universe ambiguous and particle model dependent. The study of
modern cosmology is inevitably linked with the probe for the new physics,
underlying it. The particle model dependent phenomena, such as unstable dark
matter, primordial black holes, strong primordial inhomogeneities, can play
important role in revealing the true physical cosmology. Such phenomena, having
serious physical grounds and leading to new nontrivial cosmological scenarious,
should be taken into account in the data analysis of observational cosmology.Comment: 25.09.200
The Structure and Interpretation of Cosmology: Part I - General Relativistic Cosmology
The purpose of this work is to review, clarify, and critically analyse modern
mathematical cosmology. The emphasis is upon mathematical objects and
structures, rather than numerical computations. This paper concentrates on
general relativistic cosmology. The opening section reviews and clarifies the
Friedmann-Robertson-Walker models of general relativistic cosmology, while
Section 2 deals with the spatially homogeneous models. Particular attention is
paid in these opening sections to the topological and geometrical aspects of
cosmological models. Section 3 explains how the mathematical formalism can be
linked with astronomical observation. In particular, the informal,
observational notion of the celestial sphere is given a rigorous mathematical
implementation. Part II of this work will concentrate on inflationary cosmology
and quantum cosmology
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