Weaving the universe : is modern cosmology discovered or invented? / Paul S. Wesson.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Print version record.

1. Weaving the warp -- 2. Puzzles of physics. 2.1. Introduction. 2.2. Olbers' paradox. 2.3. Zero-point fields and the cosmological 'constant'. 2.4. The hierarchy problem. 2.5. Supersymmetry and dark WIMPs. 2.6. The Fermi-Hart paradox : Where are the aliens? 2.7. Conclusion -- 3. The meaning of dimensions. 3.1. Introduction. 3.2. Dimensions and fundamental constants. 3.3. Eddington and his legacy. 3.4. Campbell and his theorem. 3.5. Conclusion -- 4. Time as an illustion. 4.1. Introduction. 4.2. Physics and the flow of time. 4.3. Time as a subjective ordering device. 4.4. Mathematics and reality. 4.5. Conclusion -- 5. The nature of matter. 5.1. Introduction. 5.2. Properties of matter. 5.3. Creating matter. 5.4. Negative mass? 5.5. Manipulating matter. 5.6. Conclusion -- 6. Science and religion : immiscible? 6.1. Introduction. 6.2. Newton. 6.3. Einstein. 6.4. Eddington. 6.5. Milne. 6.6. Laplace. 6.7. Conclusion -- 7. Weaving the weft.

This new book is a thorough but short review of the history and present status of ideas in cosmology. It is aimed at a broad audience, but will contain a few equations where needed to make the argument exact. The coverage of cosmological ideas will focus mainly on the period from the early 1900s when Einstein formulated relativity and when his colleague Sir Arthur Eddington was creating relativistic models of the universe. It ends with the completion of the Large Hadron Collider in late 2008, having surveyed modern ideas of particle physics and astrophysics. To organize the large body of information involved, the book uses the life of Eddington and the weaving together of ideas in cosmology as themes. This should provide a clear and entertaining account presented in a historical context that leads up to the present day.

English.

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