The Infrared and Submillimetre Sky after COBE: 359 (Nato Science Series C:) - Softcover

Reseña del editor

The book discusses the preliminary results of the Cobe satellite (Cosmic Background Explorer). First, the three instruments on board Cobe: Firas (Far Infrared Absolute Spectrophotometer), Dmr (Differential Microwave Radiometer), Dirbe (Diffuse Infrared Background Experiment), and the data acquisition and reduction techniques, are described by members of the Cobe Science Team. Most of the subsequent material is devoted to the cosmological implications of the observations.
The topics covered are:

• the Early universe: Planck era, inflation, dark matter, relic particles, etc.
• large and small scale anisotropies of the Cmb
• large-scale structures and galaxy formation
• infrared to submillimetre background
• dust in galaxies and quasars
• instrumentation and observation techniques

Scientists of different communities, from particle physics to observational astrophysics, have been enabled to share their convictions and their doubts about the `excess of perfection' of the relic Cosmic Radiation. Only such opportunities will allow us to make progress in the understanding of our Universe.

Reseña del editor

This volume consists of invited lectures and seminars presented at the NATO Advanced Study Institute "The Infrared and Submillimetre Sky after COBE", which was held at the Centre de Physique Theorique of Les Houches (France) in March 1991. The school has been planned by a Scientific Organizing Committee. It was organized with the aim of providing students and young researchers with an up-to-date account of the Cosmic Microwave Background, the Cosmic Infrared Background (if any), and the infrared emission of the Galaxy, after the early results from COBE (Cosmic Background Explo­ rer). It was attended by about sixty researchers from many countries. The lectures and seminars represent a complete coverage of our present knowledge and understanding of: the Early Universe, Large-Scale Structure, Dust in Galaxies, Infrared to Submillimetre Backgrounds, CMB Anisotropies, complementary observations and instrumentation problems, etc. Most of these lectures are reproduced in this volume. Unfortunately, a few lecturers have chosen not to submit their manuscript. I would like to express my gratitude to the Scientific Affairs Division of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and to the Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics Sections of the CNRS (Centre National de la Re­ cherche Scientifique) for their generous support. Further help was obtain­ ed from the DRET (Direction des Recherches, Etudes et Techniques), the CNES (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales) and the IN2P3 (Institut Natio­ nal de Physique Nuc1eaire et de Physique des Particules), which I hereby gratefully acknowledge.