Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Abstract.

Precise astronomical observations of the cosmic expansion and the anisotropies of the cosmic microwave background have confirmed the simple cosmological “big bang” models. They have also produced evidence for a strange composition of the cosmic matter and energy density. The known baryons contribute only 5 percent to the cosmic substrate, while 25 percent are due to unknown dark matter particles, and 70 percent seem to come from a mysterious dark energy component which presently acts like a cosmological constant accelerating the cosmic expansion.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • C.J. Bennett et al., ApJ Suppl. 148, 1 (2003)

  • N. Birrel, P.C.W. Davies, Quantum Fields in Curved Spaces (Cambride University Press, Cambridge, 1984)

  • G. Börner, The Early Universe – Facts and Fiction, 4th edn. (Springer, Heidelberg, 2004)

  • A.M. Boesgaard, G. Steigman, ARA&A 23, 319 (1985)

  • D. Fixsen et al., ApJ 437, 576 (1996)

  • Y.P. Jing, Y. Suto, ApJ 494, L5 (1998)

  • B. Leibundgut, A&A 10, 179 (2000)

  • A.D. Linde, Phys. Lett. B 108, 389 (1982)

    Google Scholar 

  • A.D. Linde, Particle Physics and Inflationary Cosmology (Harvard Acad. Publ., Cambridge, 1990)

  • J.C. Mather et al., ApJ 354, L37 (1990)

  • V. Mukhanov, Physical Foundations of Cosmology (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2005)

  • V. Mukhanov, G.V. Chibisov, Pisma Zh. Eksp. Teor. Fiz. 33, 544 (1981)

  • K.A. Olive et al, ApJ 483, 788 (1997)

  • A.G. Riess et al., ApJ 607, 665 (2004); A.G. Riess et al., ApJ 504, 935 (1998)

  • A.G. Riess et al., ApJ 656 (2007) (in press)

  • S. Sarkar, Rep. Prog. Phys. 59, 1493 (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  • G.F. Smoot et al., ApJ Lett. 396, L1 (1992)

  • V. Springel et al., Nature 2005, 629 (2005)

  • G. Steigman, Ann. Rev. Nucl. Part. Sci. 29, 339 (1979)

    Google Scholar 

  • N. Straumann, Ann. Phys. 15, 701 (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  • S. Weinberg, The First Three Minutes (Basic Books Inc., New York, 1988)

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to G. Börner.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Börner, G. Cosmology. Eur. Phys. J. Spec. Top. 152, 139–181 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1140/epjst/e2007-00380-7

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epjst/e2007-00380-7

Keywords

Navigation