The Early Universe and the Cosmic Microwave Background: Theory and Observations

Abstract

The impressive development of modern cosmology during the last decades is to a large extent due to its unification with elementary particle physics and quantum field theory, giving rise to the discipline of Astrofundamental Physics. The early universe is an exceptional (theoretical and experimental) laboratory in this new discipline. This book provides an up-to-date understanding of the progress and key issues in the early universe and the cosmic microwave background, in terms of both theory and observation. The genuine interplay between large-scale structure formation and dark matter is discussed, the central focus being the cosmic microwave background. Emphasis is on the precise interrelation between fundamental physics and cosmology in these problems, both at the theoretical and experimental/observational levels, within a profound, well-defined, interdisciplinary programme.