The Cold Universe

Abstract

This book contains the expanded lecture notes of the 32nd Saas-Fee Advanced Course. This well respected school offers courses appropriate for students as well as professional astronomers. The three contributions, by A. Blain, F. Combes and B. Draine, present the central themes in modern research on the cold universe. The cold state plays a crucial role in the evolution of the universe. The authors cover topics such as cold objects at large distances, the origin of galaxies, the role of molecules in galaxies, and the physics of dust in cold clouds. In addition, much space is given to the observation techniques in the regime near background radiation temperature.