Mysteries of Galaxy Formation
by Francoise Combes
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Mysteries of Galaxy Formation
Our universe is composed of galaxies, each typically harboring one hundred billion stars. How did these structures come to be? Françoise Combes outlines a range of models of galactic origin and evolution in Mysteries of Galaxy Formation.
Combes first tours the very early universe to show how minute fluctuations in primordial matter and radiation may have triggered the first generation of galaxies. After portraying the search for protogalaxies at ever-higher redshifts, she devotes a chapter to the belief that a supermassive black hole lurks at the center of every galaxy.
Currently, the most commonly agreed scenario for the formation of the clusters and superclusters into which galaxies are arrayed is the “bottom-up” model, in which the first structures to form were the smallest. Combes shows how observations of the cosmic microwave background support this idea. What about individual galaxies? We study the two competing “monolithic” and “hierarchical” models for spirals: in the former, central bulges form before disks; in the latter, vice versa.
Why are 90 percent of the galaxies in rich clusters elliptical rather than spiral, while the ratio is very nearly flipped in galaxies outside clusters? In what way does dark matter, which is believed to account for galactic dynamics and the stability of galaxy clusters, play a role in the formation of galaxies? And what grounds are there for “modified gravity” theories that claim to account for galactic motions better than traditional models? These are among the fascinating issues that Combes discusses.
Enchanted by the beauty of galaxies? Mysteries of Galaxy Formation fills you in on everything we know about the science behind them.
Softcover : 200 pages
Publisher: Springer-Verlag New York ( November 15, 2009 )
Item #: 12-940442
ISBN: 9781441908674
Product Dimensions: 6.125 x 9.25 inches
Product Weight: 15.0 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
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