Cosmological Physics (Cambridge Astrophysics) (Paperback)

~ J. A. Peacock (Author) "SPECIAL RELATIVITY To understand the issues involved in general relativity, it is helpful to begin with a brief summary of the way space and time..." (more)
Key Phrases: cosmological density fields, lensing equation, traditional distance ladder, Milky Way, Einstein-de Sitter, Fermi Lagrangian (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a truly magnificent achievement. I will certainly adopt it for my courses....[includes] all the most recent important observational developments...and a very thorough pedagogical treatment of the relevant background physics...I am sure this will become one of the classic texts in cosmology." Professor Richard Ellis, FRS, Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge

"...an extraordinary achievement. [Peacock] has succeeded in condensing the essence of modern astrophysical cosmology and particle physics into a single text. It is all written with his characteristic insight and economy of expression. The result is an extraordinary panorama of many of the hottest issues in contemporary science, all done with mathematical precision and total authority. This book is an essential purchase for all physicists and astronomers..." Professor Malcolm Longair, Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge

"Cosmological Physics is a truly first class text book." Contemporary Physics

"Even under the best circumstances, writing a textbook on modern cosmology is not easy...one must provide three textbooks in one, and this has, to date, been largelly beyond anyone's ambitions. John Peacock however, has taken up this...challenge, and he has very largely succeeded. [This is] a remarkable book, both for its scope and for its depth of understanding." Physics Today

"I know no other book that covers these wide-ranging topics with such authority." Professor Martin Rees, FRS, Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge

"Peacock has done an excellent job of setting out astrophysical cosmology and its underlying physics. This book is sure to be a hit with both professors and students. Cosmology with just the right touch of general relativity and quantum physics." Professor John Huchra, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

"Should excite and challenge advanced physics undergraduates and help them to make the transition from learning standard material to research." Professor Roger Blandford, FRS, California Institute of Technology

"The majestic sweep of [Peacock's] discussion of this vast terrain is awesome, and is bound to capture the imagination of most students....The result is an impressive overview of cosmology as a physical science. This abundance will communicate the widespread excitement of the subject..." Nature

Review

"Even under the best circumstances, writing a textbook on modern cosmology is not easy...one must provide three textbooks in one, and this has, to date, been largelly beyond anyone's ambitions. John Peacock however, has taken up this...challenge, and he has very largely succeeded. [This is] a remarkable book, both for its scope and for its depth of understanding." Physics Today

"The majestic sweep of [Peacock's] discussion of this vast terrain is awesome, and is bound to capture the imagination of most students....The result is an impressive overview of cosmology as a physical science. This abundance will communicate the widespread excitement of the subject..." Nature

"...a truly magnificent achievement. I will certainly adopt it for my courses....[includes] all the most recent important observational developments...and a very thorough pedagogical treatment of the relevant background physics...I am sure this will become one of the classic texts in cosmology." Professor Richard Ellis, FRS, Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge

"Peacock has done an excellent job of setting out astrophysical cosmology and its underlying physics. This book is sure to be a hit with both professors and students. Cosmology with just the right touch of general relativity and quantum physics." Professor John Huchra, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

"I know no other book that covers these wide-ranging topics with such authority." Professor Martin Rees, FRS, Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge

"Should excite and challenge advanced physics undergraduates and help them to make the transition from learning standard material to research." Professor Roger Blandford, FRS, California Institute of Technology

"...an extraordinary achievement. [Peacock] has succeeded in condensing the essence of modern astrophysical cosmology and particle physics into a single text. It is all written with his characteristic insight and economy of expression. The result is an extraordinary panorama of many of the hottest issues in contemporary science, all done with mathematical precision and total authority. This book is an essential purchase for all physicists and astronomers..." Professor Malcolm Longair, Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge

"Cosmological Physics is a truly first class text book." Contemporary Physics --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 702 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 1 edition (December 28, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521422701
• ISBN-13: 978-0521422703
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #492,142 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Borrow it first ., June 10, 2002

By	Andy Gregory (Cleveland England) - See all my reviews

I got this book on short term inter-library loan hoping to further my knowledge of inflationary cosmology. I don't think that this is a suitable volume from which to begin study of this topic unless you have a supervisor on hand for occasional help.The chapter on inflation for example summarises standard results. I found derivations of these not to be explained fully enough for a first encounter. The derivation of the basic equations of motion for the scalar field cosmologies from the Lagrangian is an example.The slow -roll parameters and their relationship to the Friedmann equations are summarised - (a much fuller discussion of these is given in Scott Watson's e -book - see below).This sometimes terse approach can make the book heavy going for people like me working on their own for 'fun'.I did enjoy the chapter though as I had already studied a lot of the material using John Norbury's e-book 'General Relativity'(pdf and html available -contains quite a few errors but inflation is very clearly explained),Scott Watson's (pdf/html)'Exposition on inflationary cosmology'and numerous preprints from the e-archives. With mastery of this material under my belt I therefore found Peacock's material on this topic readable and enjoyable although I did not learn anything new from it. The problems (and solution hints) were good.I enjoyed the chapters on the rudiments of GR (being already very familiar with this albeit from long ago)but again the treatment is brief and constitutes a review rather than a place to start learning GR from.
Dipping into the chapters of material new to me, I could see little hope of personal progress here using this book as a starting point.I realise however that the book covers a huge amount of varied material much of which has been developed in the last twenty years and the book needs to be kept to a sensible size.My perspective is that of someone dabbling independently in their sparetime twenty years after leaving university. I daresay a beginning PhD student might view it in a different light.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book., April 10, 2000

By	Jill Bechtold "jbechtold" (Tucson, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

Very lucid and up-to-date description of cosmology and relativity, with the right balance of qualitative discussion, presentation of the important observations, and mathematical formalism.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cosmology resources, November 1, 2000

By A Customer

Great book. Unlike many other cosmology books it is very up to date. Should be used with another book, such as Rowan-Robinson or Kolb and Turner for class atmosphere. It is a little lacking in examples, while the presentation is very good. This book is for the undergraduate senior or the graduate student.