Abstract
Abstract Chapter 26 introduces ‘modern cosmology’, in which one considers general multicomponent Friedmann-type models described in terms of four parameters. While the previous chapter looked at the Friedmann equation under radiation-dominated, matter-dominated, or vacuum-dominated conditions, this chapter examines situations which allow for all three conditions and relates the theoretical predictions to observational parameters. This leads to the ‘standard cosmological model’ of a flat space-time containing both conventional and dark matter and in which the expansion of the universe is driven by a cosmological constant. Other topics discussed are the cosmic microwave background radiation, the possible origin of the cosmological constant, dark energy, the theory of inflation, and the anthropic principle, which essentially states we see the universe the way it is because we exist. It ends with a review of the main results in the book, and some philosophical musings on the nature of the universe.
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