A Resource Letter on Physical Eschatology

This Resource Letter treats the nascent discipline of physical eschatology, which deals with the future evolution of astrophysical objects, including the universe itself, and is thus both a counterpart and a complement to conventional cosmology. While sporadic interest in these topics has flared up from time to time during the entire history of humanity, a truly physical treatment of these issues has only become possible during the last quarter century. This Resource Letter deals with these recent developments. It offers a starting point for understanding what the physical sciences might say about the future of our universe and its constituents. Journal articles, books, and web sites are provided for the following topics: history and epistemology of physical eschatology, the future of the Solar system, the future of stars and stellar systems, the global future of the universe, information processing and intelligent communities, as well as some side issues, like the possible vacuum phase transition and the so-called Doomsday Argument.Comment: Annotated bibliography, 40 pages, to be published in American Journal of Physics early 200

The total mass of the early-type galaxy NGC 4649 (M60)

In this paper we analyze the problem of the total mass and the total mass-to-light ratio of the early-type galaxy NGC 4649 (M60). We have used two independent techniques: the X-ray methodology which is based on the temperature of the X-ray halo of NGC 4649 and the tracer mass estimator (TME) which uses globular clusters (GCs) observed in this galaxy. We calculated the mass in Newtonian and MOdified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND) approaches and found that interior to 3 effective radii (Re) there is no need for large amounts of dark matter. Beyond 3Re dark matter starts to play important dynamical role. We also discuss possible reasons for the discrepancy between the estimates of the total mass based on X-rays and TME in the outer regions of NGC 4649.Comment: Accepted by Serbian Astronomical Journal, 8 pages, 1 figur

On the Maximal Quantity of Processed Information in the Physical Eschatological Context

An estimate of the maximal informational content available to advanced extraterrestrial or future (post)human civilizations is presented. It is shown that the fundamental thermodynamical considerations may lead to a quantitative estimate of the largest quantity of information to be processed by conceivable computing devices. This issue is interesting from the point of view of physical eschatology, as well as general futurological topics, like the degree of confidence in long-term physical predictions or viability of the large-scale simulations of complex systems.Comment: 6 pages, no figure