Preface ......................................................... v
Chapter 1. Physics Concepts Needed for Astrophysics ............. 1
1 Overview of Some Basic Physics Concepts ...................... 2
2 Position, Velocity, Acceleration, and Vectors ................ 5
3 Force and Newton's Law of Motion ............................ 10
4 Energy and Temperature ...................................... 14
5 Dark Energy ................................................. 18
6 Problems .................................................... 19
References ..................................................... 20
Chapter 2. Forces and Particles ................................ 21
1 Einstein's Photoelectric Effect: Quanta of Electromagnetic
Field ....................................................... 21
2 Elementary Particles and Forces ............................. 23
3 Quantum Electrodynamics ..................................... 26
4 The Atomic Nucleus and the Nuclear Force .................... 31
5 Elementary Particles: Fermions and Bosons ................... 34
6 Elementary Particles in the Standard Model .................. 37
7 Summary ..................................................... 40
8 Problems .................................................... 43
References ..................................................... 43
Chapter 3. Hubble's Law: Expansion of the Universe ............. 44
1 Overview of Hubble's Law .................................... 44
2 Hubble's Graphs and Hubble's Law ............................ 50
3 Problems .................................................... 55
References ..................................................... 55
Chapter 4. Stars, Galaxies, Etc ................................ 56
1 Overview of Chapter 4 ....................................... 56
2 Review of Force of Gravity .................................. 56
3 Nebular Theory of Our Solar System — Rene Descartes, 17th
Century ..................................................... 59
4 Galaxy Rotation and Dark Matter ............................. 65
5 Gravitational Collapse of a Massive Star .................... 67
6 Problems .................................................... 70
References ..................................................... 71
Chapter 5. Neutrino Oscillations, Symmetries, and Pulsar
Kicks .......................................................... 72
1 Overview of Chapter 5 ....................................... 72
2 Quantum States and Time Dependence of Neutrino States ....... 72
3 Three Important Symmetries in Quantum Theory: Parity,
Charge Conjugation, and Time Reversal ....................... 75
4 Neutrino Flavor, Mass, and Oscillations ..................... 77
5 T, CP and CPT Violations in Neutrino OsciUations ............ 78
6 Conclusions for Time Reversal and CP-Violation Tests ........ 81
7 Pulsar Kicks ................................................ 82
8 Problems .................................................... 87
References ..................................................... 88
Chapter 6. Einstein's Special and General Theories of
Relativity ..................................................... 89
1 Overview of Chapter 6 ....................................... 89
2 Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity ..................... 89
3 Einstein's General Theory of Relativity ..................... 95
4 Einstein's General Theory of Relativity and the Evolution
of the Universe: Discussed in Chapter 7 .................... 101
5 Problems ................................................... 102
References .................................................... 102
Chapter 7. Radius and Temperature of the Universe from the
General Theory of Relativity .................................. 103
1 Overview of Chapter 7 ...................................... 103
2 Tests of Theories of General and Special Relativity ........ 103
3 Friedman's Equations for R(t) - Radius of the Universe ..... 109
4 T{t) from Friedmann's Equation ............................. 114
5 The Horizon Problem and Inflation .......................... 114
6 Gravitational Radiation and Gravity Waves from Inflation ... 118
7 Gravitational Quantum Field Theory ......................... 119
8 Einstein vs Bohr: Relativity vs Quantum Mechanics .......... 120
9 Problems ................................................... 120
References .................................................... 121
Chapter 8. Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMBR) ....... 122
1 Review of Concepts Relevant to the CMBR .................... 123
2 The CMBR ................................................... 125
3 Problems ................................................... 144
References .................................................... 144
Chapter 9. Electroweak Phase Transition (EWPT) ................ 145
1 Phase Transitions .......................................... 146
2 Electroweak Phase Transition (EWPT) ........................ 152
3 Gravitational Quantum Field Theory and Gravity Waves ....... 160
4 Problems ................................................... 165
References .................................................... 165
Chapter 10. Quantum Chromodynamic Phase Transition (QCDPT) .... 166
1 The QCD Phase Transition ................................... 167
2 QCDPT and Magnetic Fields in Galaxies and Galaxy Clusters .. 173
3 Dark Energy and the QCDPT Quark Condensate ................. 176
4 Creation of the QGP by Relativistic Heavy Ion ColHsions
(RHIC) ..................................................... 179
5 Heavy Quark Meson Production in A-A Collisions at
√s = 200GeV ................................................ 187
6 Problems ................................................... 189
References .................................................... 189
Chapter 11. Gravitational Waves ............................... 191
1 Overview of Chapter 11 ..................................... 191
2 Gravitational Wave Generation and Einstein's General
Theory of Relativity ....................................... 191
3 Polarized Gravitational Waves from Cosmological Phase
Transitions ................................................ 192
4 Theoretical Estimates of GW Production from Black Hole
Mergers .................................................... 194
5 Gravitational Radiation from Binary Pulsars ................ 197
6 Detection of GWs and the Laser Interferometer
Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) ...................... 200
7 Problems ................................................... 205
References .................................................... 205
Solutions to Problems ......................................... 207
Appendix: Vector Calculus and Maxwell's Equations ............. 218
Index ......................................................... 221
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