Primordial Cosmology - Tapa dura

Fills a niche that other recent cosmology texts leave open, namely self-contained derivations in cosmology that span both fundamental issues and applications to the real universe that are of great interest to observers. (Joseph Silk, University of Oxford)

A remarkable book. Written with great authority and enthusiasm, it gives a comprehensive view of primordial cosmology today. The style is accessible to a novice for a good introduction, as well as being technically precise enough to be useful for specialists. (Ted Jacobson, University of Maryland)

This book aims at giving the basis of primordial cosmology. The book is self-contained in the sense that all the elements for the derivations of the presented results are given. It can be used as a textbook to study cosmology. It is devided in 3 parts. Part 1 summarises the fundamentals in theoretical physics needed in cosmology (general relativity, field theory, particle physics). Part 2 describes the standard model of cosmology and includes cosmological solutions of Einstein equations, hot big bang model, cosmological perturbation theory, cosmic microwave background anisotropies, lensing and evidences for dark matter, and inflation. Part 3 describes extensions of this model and opens up to today's research in the field: scalar-tensor theories, supersymetry, the cosmological constant problem and acceleration of the universe, topology of the universe, grand unification and baryogenesis, topological defects and phase transitions, string inspired cosmology including branes and latest developments. The book provides details of all derivations and leads the student up to the level of research articles.