How did the first stars and galaxies form? - Loeb, Abraham (Princeton University Press, 2010)
Includes bibliographical references (pages 173-182) and index
Cover; Title Page; Copyright Page; Table of Contents; Preface; 1 Prologue: The Big Picture; 2 Standard Cosmological Model; 3 The First Gas Clouds; 4 The First Stars and Black Holes; 5 The Reionization of Cosmic Hydrogen by the First Galaxies; 6 Observing the First Galaxies; 7 Imaging the Diffuse Fog of Cosmic Hydrogen; 8 Epilogue: From Our Galaxy's Past to Its Future; Appendix: Useful Numbers; Notes; Recommended Further Reading; Glossary; Index
Though astrophysicists have developed a theoretical framework for understanding how the first stars and galaxies formed, only now are we able to begin testing those theories with actual observations of the very distant, early universe. We are entering a new and exciting era of discovery that will advance the frontiers of knowledge, and this book couldn't be more timely. It covers all the basic concepts in cosmology, drawing on insights from an astronomer who has pioneered much of this research over the past two decades. Abraham Loeb starts from first principles, tracing the theoretical foundat