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Most astronomers and physicists now believe that the matter content of the Universe is dominated by dark matter: hypothetical particles which interact with normal matter primarily through the force of gravity. Though invisible to current direct detection methods, dark matter can explain a variety of astronomical observations. This book describes how this theory has developed over the past 75 years, and why it is now a central feature of extragalactic astronomy and cosmology. Current attempts to directly detect dark matter locally are discussed, together with the implications for particle physics. The author comments on the sociology of these developments, demonstrating how and why scientists work and interact. Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND), the leading alternative to this theory, is also presented. This fascinating overview will interest cosmologists, astronomers and particle physicists. Mathematics is kept to a minimum, so the book can be understood by non-specialists.

Dark matter (Astronomy) --- History. --- Interstellar matter. --- Interstellar medium --- Astrophysics --- Matter --- Space environment --- Interstellar reddening --- Nonluminous matter (Astronomy) --- Unobserved matter (Astronomy) --- Unseen matter (Astronomy) --- Interstellar matter

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Heart of Darkness describes the incredible saga of humankind's quest to unravel the deepest secrets of the universe. Over the past thirty years, scientists have learned that two little-understood components--dark matter and dark energy--comprise most of the known cosmos, explain the growth of all cosmic structure, and hold the key to the universe's fate. The story of how evidence for the so-called "Lambda-Cold Dark Matter" model of cosmology has been gathered by generations of scientists throughout the world is told here by one of the pioneers of the field, Jeremiah Ostriker, and his coauthor Simon Mitton. From humankind's early attempts to comprehend Earth's place in the solar system, to astronomers' exploration of the Milky Way galaxy and the realm of the nebulae beyond, to the detection of the primordial fluctuations of energy from which all subsequent structure developed, this book explains the physics and the history of how the current model of our universe arose and has passed every test hurled at it by the skeptics. Throughout this rich story, an essential theme is emphasized: how three aspects of rational inquiry--the application of direct measurement and observation, the introduction of mathematical modeling, and the requirement that hypotheses should be testable and verifiable--guide scientific progress and underpin our modern cosmological paradigm. This monumental puzzle is far from complete, however, as scientists confront the mysteries of the ultimate causes of cosmic structure formation and the real nature and origin of dark matter and dark energy.

Dark matter (Astronomy) --- Dark energy (Astronomy) --- Cosmology --- Astrophysics --- Force and energy --- Nonluminous matter (Astronomy) --- Unobserved matter (Astronomy) --- Unseen matter (Astronomy) --- Interstellar matter --- Astronomy

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There has been very considerable progress in research into low-mass stars, brown dwarfs and extrasolar planets during the past few years, particularly since the fist edition of this book was published in 2000. In this new edition the authors present a comprehensive review of both the astrophysical nature of individual red dwarf and brown dwarf stars and their collective statistical properties as an important Galactic stellar population. Chapters dealing with the observational properties of low-mass dwarfs, the stellar mass function and extrasolar planets have been completely revised. Other chapters have been significantly revised and updated as appropriate, including important new material on observational techniques, stellar activity, the Galactic halo and field star surveys. The authors detail the many discoveries of new brown dwarfs and extrasolar planets made since publication of the first edition of the book and provide a state-of-the-art review of our current knowledge of very low-mass stars, brown dwarfs and extrasolar planets, including both the latest observational results and theoretical work.

Physics. --- Astronomy. --- Astrophysics. --- Cosmology. --- Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology. --- Dwarf stars. --- Dark matter (Astronomy) --- Nonluminous matter (Astronomy) --- Unobserved matter (Astronomy) --- Unseen matter (Astronomy) --- Interstellar matter --- Low-luminosity stars --- Stars --- Astronomical physics --- Astronomy --- Cosmic physics --- Physics

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This work provides the current theory and observations behind the cosmological phenomenon of dark energy. The approach is comprehensive with rigorous mathematical theory and relevant astronomical observations discussed in context. The book treats the background and history starting with the new-found importance of Einstein's cosmological constant (proposed long ago) in dark energy formulation, as well as the frontiers of dark energy. The authors do not presuppose advanced knowledge of astronomy, and basic mathematical concepts used in modern cosmology are presented in a simple, but rigorous way. All this makes the book useful for both astronomers and physicists, and also for university students of physical sciences.

Dark energy (Astronomy) --- Dark matter (Astronomy) --- Cosmology. --- Astronomy --- Deism --- Metaphysics --- Nonluminous matter (Astronomy) --- Unobserved matter (Astronomy) --- Unseen matter (Astronomy) --- Interstellar matter --- Astrophysics --- Force and energy --- Dark Energy. --- Dark Matter. --- Mathematical Models.

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Dark matter is among the most important open problems in modern physics. Aimed at graduate students and researchers, this book describes the theoretical and experimental aspects of the dark matter problem in particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology. Featuring contributions from 48 leading theorists and experimentalists, it presents many aspects, from astrophysical observations to particle physics candidates, and from the prospects for detection at colliders to direct and indirect searches. The book introduces observational evidence for dark matter along with a detailed discussion of the state-of-the-art of numerical simulations and alternative explanations in terms of modified gravity. It then moves on to the candidates arising from theories beyond the Standard Model of particle physics, and to the prospects for detection at accelerators. It concludes by looking at direct and indirect dark matter searches, and the prospects for detecting the particle nature of dark matter with astrophysical experiments.

Dark matter (Astronomy) --- Mass (Physics) --- Dark matter (Astronomy). --- Mass (Physics). --- Matière sombre (Astronomie) --- Matière sombre (Astronomie) --- Gravitational mass --- Inertial mass --- Force and energy --- Gravitation --- Inertia (Mechanics) --- Matter --- Mechanics --- Moments of inertia --- Weight (Physics) --- Nonluminous matter (Astronomy) --- Unobserved matter (Astronomy) --- Unseen matter (Astronomy) --- Interstellar matter --- History. --- Properties