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The Origin and Evolution of Galaxies is the outstanding problem of modern cosmology. Fortunately. we have a firm cosmological framework on which to base our theories (the hot big bang) and recently there has been substantial progress in providing observations which potentially can constrain these theories. The problem of galaxy formation is. as a consequence. one involving many diverse branches of physics and astrophysics. It has been the aim of the school. and this compendium of lectures and seminars. to bring together these diverse aspects at a level enabling research workers to understand what is going on in other corners of the subject and to see how progress in each area impinges on the others. We are grateful to the contributors to this volume for allowing us considerable editorial license with their articles. We have attempted to provide a representative sample of the talks that were given at the school besides the texts of the invited lecturers. It is regrettable that for reasons of space we have had to leave out a number of other contributions.
List of contents
Inaugural lecture.- Relativistic cosmology for astrophysicists.- Numerical cosmologies.- Grand unification and cosmology.- Theory and evidence about the origin of cosmological structure.- Adiabatic vs. isothermal: two pictures of galaxy origin.- Structure in the universe and fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background.- Large-scale fluctuations in the mass distribution and the microwave background: nature and evolution.- Evolution of potential perturbations after decoupling (the adiabatic scenario).- Primordial stars - the precursors to galaxy formation.- Very massive objects and pregalactic stars.- The chemical evolution of galaxies.- Stellar dynamical processes and the evolution of galaxies and galaxy clusters.- Disc stability and halo mass.- Evolution of faint galaxies.- Cosmological evolution of QSOs and radio galaxies.- Clusters of galaxies.- Epilogue: do we understand how galaxies formed?.
