Elements of String Cosmology

Description

The standard cosmological picture of our Universe emerging from a 'big bang' leaves open many fundamental questions which string theory, a unified theory of all forces of nature, should be able to answer. This 2007 text was the first dedicated to string cosmology, and contains a pedagogical introduction to the basic notions of the subject. It describes the possible scenarios suggested by string theory for the primordial evolution of our Universe. It discusses the main phenomenological consequences of these scenarios, stresses their differences from each other, and compares them to the more conventional models of inflation. The book summarises over 15 years of research in this field and introduces advances. It is self-contained, so it can be read by astrophysicists with no knowledge of string theory, and high-energy physicists with little understanding of cosmology. Detailed and explicit derivations of all the results presented provide a deeper appreciation of the subject.

Review of the hardback: '... an excellent resource for the graduate student interested in learning string cosmology, especially the pre-Big Bang scenario. The text provides a clear explanation of the results of hundreds of research articles. Thus it is a good starting point for those entering this exciting field.' Physics Today Review of the hardback: 'The book is extremely readable from the basis of mathematical knowledge implied, and the reader is led, equation-by-equation, from the Einstein equations to String cosmology ... a pedagogical masterpiece.' Mathematics Today