The 1990s have seen substantial consolidation of theoretical cosmology, coupled with dramatic observational advances, including the emergence of an entirely new field of observational astronomy - the study of irregularities in the cosmic microwave background radiation. A key idea of modem cosmology is cosmological inflation, which is a possible theory for the origin of all structures in the Universe, including ourselves! The time is ripe for a new book describing this field of research.

Frequently used symbols

Preface

1 INTRODUCTION

 1.1 This book

 1.2 The Universe we see

 1.3 Overview: From cosmological inflation to large-scale structure

 1.4 Notes on examples

2 THE HOT BIG BANG COSMOLOGY

 2.1 The expanding Universe

 2.2 Epochs

 2.3 Scales

 2.4 The cosmic microwave background

 2.5 Ingredients for a model of the Universe

 2.6 History of our Universe

 Examples

3 INFLATION

 3.1 Motivation for inflation

 3.2 Inflation in the abstract

 3.3 Scalar fields in cosmology

 3.4 Slow-roll inflation

 3.5 Exact solutions

 3.6 Hamilton-Jacobi formulation of inflation

 3.7 Inflationary attractor

 3.8 Reheating: Recovering the Hot Big Bang

 3.9 Thermal inflation

 Examples

4 SIMPLEST MODEL FOR THE ORIGIN OF STRUCTURE I

 4.1 Introduction

 4.2 Sequence of events

 4.3 Gaussian perturbations

 4.4 Density perturbation: Newtonian treatment

 4.5 The Baryon density contrast: Newtonian treatment

 4.6 Cosmological perturbation theory

 4.7 Evolution equations

 4.8 Outside the horizon

 4.9 Peculiar velocity in the relativistic domain

 Examples

5 SIMPLEST MODEL FOR THE ORIGIN OF STRUCTURE II

 5.1 From horizon entry to galaxy formation

 5.2 The cosmic microwave background anisotropy

 5.3 Polarization

 5.4 Reionization

 Examples

6 EXTENSIONS TO THE SIMPLEST MODEL

 6.1 Modifying the cold dark matter hypothesis

 6.2 ACDM model

 6.3 Open CDM model

 6.4 Fine tuning issues

 6.5 Gravitational waves

 6.6 Isocurvature perturbations

 Examples

7 SCALAR FIELDS AND THE VACUUM FLUCTUATION

 7.1 Classical scalar field

 7.2 Quantized free scalar field in fiat space-time

 7.3 Several scalar fields

 7.4 Vacuum fluctuation of inflaton field

 7.5 Spectrum of the primordial curvature perturbation

 7.6 Beyond the slow-roll approximation

 7.7 Gravitational waves

 7.8 Generating an isocurvature perturbation

 7.9 A multicomponent inflaton?

 Examples

8 BUILDING AND TESTING MODELS OF INFLATION

 8.1 Overview

 8.2 Form of the scalar field potential

 8.3 Single-field models

 8.4 Hybrid inflation models

 8.5 The spectral index as a discriminator

 8.6 Models from extended theories of gravity

 8.7 Open inflation models

 Examples

9 THE COSMIC MICROWAVE BACKGROUND

 9.1 Large angles and the cosmic background explorer (COBE) satellite

 9.2 Degree-scale observations and acoustic oscillations

 9.3 Aspects of microwave anisotropy satellites

 Examples

10 GALAXY MOTIONS AND CLUSTERING

 10.1 Clustering of galaxies

 10.2 Galaxy velocities

 Examples

11 THE QUASI-LINEAR REGIME

 11.1 Gravitational collapse

 11.2 Press-Schechter theory

 11.3 Theory of peaks

 11.4 Numerical simulations

 11.5 Applications of Press-Schechter theory

 11.6 Reionization of the Universe

 Examples

12 PUTTING OBSERVATIONS TOGETHER

 12.1 Observations

 12.2 Critical-density models

 12.3 Low-density models

 12.4 Other options

 12.5 Summary

13 OUTLOOK FOR THE FUTURE

14 ADVANCED TOPIC: COSMOLOGICAL PERTURBATION THEORY

 14.1 Special relativity

 14.2 Fluid flow in special relativity

 14.3 Special relativity using generic coordinates

 14.4 General relativity

 14.5 Cosmological perturbations

 14.6 Evolution of the perturbations

 Examples

15 ADVANCED TOPIC: DIFFUSION AND FREESTREAMING

 15.1 Matter

 15.2 Gas dynamics in flat space-time

 15.3 Gas dynamics in the perturbed Universe

 15.4 Multipoles and the Boltzmann hierarchy

 15.5 Polarization

 15.6 Initial conditions and the u'ansfer functions

 Examples

Appendix: Constants and parameters

Numerical solutions and hints for selected examples

References

Index