An Introduction to Cosmology

The third edition of this successful textbook is fully updated and includes important recent developments in cosmology. It begins with an introduction to cosmology and general relativity, and goes on to cover the mathematical models of standard cosmology. The physical aspects of cosmology, including primordial nucleosynthesis, the astroparticle physics of inflation, and the current ideas on structure formation are discussed. Alternative models of cosmology are reviewed, including the model of Quasi-Steady State Cosmology, which has recently been proposed as an alternative to Big Bang Cosmology. The final chapters discuss observational cosmology, and debate theory versus observational methods. The book includes 400 problems and numerous worked examples. This introductory textbook describes modern cosmology at a level suitable for advanced undergraduates and graduates who are familiar with mathematical methods and basic theoretical physics. It is intended for use on courses in theoretical physics, astrophysics or applied mathematics that include modern cosmology.

Jayant Narlikar graduated from Banaras Hindu University, India, in 1957. He then studied mathematics at Cambridge University, graduating with the highest honours and the Tyson Medal for Astronomy. He continued in Cambridge, obtaining first a Ph.D. and then the Sc.D. degree of Cambridge University. Professor Narlikar was a founder staff member of the Institute of Theoretical Astronomy in Cambridge in 1966 and later, in 1988, set up and became director of the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics in Pune, India. He has received world-wide acclaim for his research in gravitation and cosmology