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The Cosmic Microwave Background is one of the most important topics in modern cosmology. This graduate textbook describes CMB physics from first principles in a detailed yet pedagogical way. This second edition features new chapters on non-Gaussianities and large-scale structure, and extended discussions on lensing and baryon acoustic oscillations.
List of contents
1. The homogeneous and isotropic universe; 2. Perturbation theory; 3. Initial conditions; 4. CMB anisotropies; 5. CMB polarization and the total angular momentum approach; 6. Non-Gaussianities; 7. Lensing and the CMB; 8. Observations of large scale structure; 9. Cosmological parameter estimation; 10. The frequency spectrum of the CMB.
About the author
Ruth Durrer is a full Professor at the Department of Theoretical Physics at Geneva University and was the department director for about 10 years. She previously held junior positions at Zürich, Princeton and Cambridge. Among her other duties, she was a member of the Swiss Research Council and of the evaluation board for ERC Advanced Grants. She has written more than 230 research papers and reviews on different topics in cosmology. Her main research subjects are the CMB and large scale structure, topological defects, cosmological phase transitions, cosmic magnetic fields and gravitational waves.
Summary
The Cosmic Microwave Background is one of the most important topics in modern cosmology. This graduate textbook describes CMB physics from first principles in a detailed yet pedagogical way. This second edition features new chapters on non-Gaussianities and large-scale structure, and extended discussions on lensing and baryon acoustic oscillations.
