Physical cosmology

Cosmology is the study of the large-scale structure and history of the universe. In particular, it deals with subjects regarding its origin and evolution. It is studied by Astronomy, Philosophy, and Religion. See also cosmogony.

Subjects in cosmology include:

Physical cosmology

• The Big Bang
  • The shape of the universe in big bang theory
• Cosmic Background Radiation
• Galaxy Formation and Evolution
• Large Scale Structure of the Cosmos - few 100 Mpc - a few percent of the horizon
• The Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker metric
• The dark matter problem
• Dark energy
• Beyond the standard Big Bang model
  • Quasi steady state theory
  • Cosmic inflation
• Topological defects
• Cosmic variance
• The Ultimate fate of the Universe

Due to the extreme conditions believed to be present during the first minutes of the universe's history, Big Bang cosmologists often co-operate with scientists from areas such as Particle physics.

Alternative cosmology

Main article: Non-standard cosmology

Non-standard physical cosmologies

• Plasma cosmology
• Steady state theory

Philosophical cosmology

• Presocratic philosophers
• Anthropic principle

Religious cosmology

Main Article: Religious cosmology

• Creationism
• Intelligent design
• Cosmogony

See also

• Timeline of cosmology (as a science)
• Cosmological timeline (cosmological events, and some closer to home)
• List of cosmologists
• important publications in cosmology

External references

• Wright, Ned, "Cosmology tutorial and FAQ". Division of Astronomy & Astrophysics, UCLA.
• Jordan, Thomas F., "Cosmology calculations almost without general relativity". (arXiv.org)
• Madore, Barry F., "Level 5 : A Knowledgebase for Extragalactic Astronomy and Cosmology". Caltech and Carnegie. Pasadena, California, USA.
• Hoiland, Paul, "Modern Cosmology Examined"Musing on the Evolution of a Cosmos Gouldsboro, Maine.
• Smith, Tony, "Cosmology -- At the Millennium, Experimental Observations tell us a lot about Cosmology".
• Center for Cosmological Physics. University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
• Tyler, Pat, and Phil Newman "Beyond Einstein". Laboratory for High Energy Astrophysics (LHEA) NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
• Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Cosmic Images
• Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Cosmology from Antiquity to 1850
• Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Cosmology since 1850