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Connections developed in recent years between particle physics and cosmologyare the focus of attention in this new textbook. The author describes some of the theories which have been developed to describe 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 three parts of the book discuss the standard hot big bang model of the earlyuniverse, the basic ideas of the standard and the grand unified theories of elementary particles, and the influence of dark matter on the large-scale evolution of structure. In addition to making some minorcorrections the author has added an appendix presenting new results and an updated bibliography. Two main groups of readers are addressed: research students in astronomy can use this book to understand the impact of elementary particle theory on cosmology, while research students in particle physics can use it to acquaint themselves with the basic facts of cosmology. The book is written carefully enough to appeal also to a wider audience of physicists.

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 three parts of the book discuss the standard hot big bang model of the early universe, the basic ideas of the standard and the grand unified theories of elementary particles, and the influence of dark matter of the large- scale evolution of structure. In addition to making some minor corrections, the author has added an appendix presenting new results and an updated bibliography. Two main groups of readers are addressed: research students in astronomy can use this book to understand the impact of elementary particle theory on cosmology, while research students in particle physics can use it to acquaint themselves with the basic facts of cosmology. The book is written carefully enough to appeal also to a wider audience of physicists.

Observations of neutrinos being emitted by the supernova SN1987A, star neutrinos, and atmospheric neutrinos by means of underground detectors have provided new insights into astronomy. These observations have brought to light new unresolved phenomena such as the solar neutrino problem, spurring investigative studies among particle physicists and astrophysicists. Today, intense interaction and continual cooperation between specialists in the field of particle physics and astronomy/cosmology are a pre-requisite for conducting further studies.This book provides detailed elaborations on selected topics. One of the most important features of this book is its enumeration of a number of basic properties of neutrinos and their relationship to Grand Unified Theories.It does not cover all aspects of neutrino theory, but rather focuses on the origin of the neutrino's mass and the generation mixing of neutrinos. The neutrino experiments described were carried out mainly by Japanese researchers. All the kamiokande results, detector performances, and complete references are included. Experiments regarding the neutrino's mass are represented in the direct mass measurement, the double beta-decay experiment, and the neutrino oscillation experiment. The detection of low-energy astrophysical neutrinos is discussed. Particle acceleration mechanisms in astrophysics and the detection of high-energy gamma-rays and neutrinos are also represented.

Nuclear astrophysics as it stands today is a fascinating science. Even though, compared to other scientific fields, it is a young discipline which has developed only in this century, it has answered many questions concerning the under­ standing of our cosmos. One of these great achievements was the concept of nucleosynthesis, the creation of the elements in the early universe in interstellar matter and in stars. Nuclear astrophysics has continued, to solve many riddles of the evolution of the myriads of stars in our cosmos. This review volume attempts to provide an overview of the current status of nuclear astrophysics. Special emphasis is given to the interdisciplinary nature of the field: astronomy, nuclear physics, astrophysics and particle physics are equally involved. One basic effort of nuclear astrophysics is the collection of ob­ servational facts with astronomical methods. Laboratory studies of the nuclear processes involved in various astrophysical scenarios have provided fundamen­ tal information serving both as input for and test of astrophysical models. The theoretical understanding of nuclear reaction mechanisms is necessary, for example, to extrapolate the experimentally determined reaction rates to the thermonuclear energy range, which is relevant for the nuclear processes in our cosmos. Astrophysical models and calculations allow us to simulate how nuclear processes contribute to driving the evolution of stars, interstellar matter and the whole universe. Finally, elementary particle physics also plays an important role in the field of nuclear astrophysics, for instance through weak interaction processes involving neutrinos.