The Edge of Infinity

Erscheinungsjahr 2003
ISBN: 978-0-521-81405-8
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, 158 Seiten, Format (B × H): 157 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 392 g

In the past, they were recognized as the most destructive force in nature. Now, following a cascade of astonishing discoveries, supermassive black holes have undergone a dramatic shift in paradigm. Astronomers are finding out that these objects may have been critical to the formation of structure in the early universe, spawning bursts of star formation, planets, and even life itself. They may have contributed as much as half of all the radiation produced after the Big Bang, and as many as 200 million of them may now be lurking through the vast expanses of the observable cosmos. In this elegant, non-technical account, Melia conveys for the general reader the excitement generated by the quest to expose what these giant distortions in the fabric of space and time have to say about our origin and ultimate destiny.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Melia, Fulvio

Fachgebiete

• Geowissenschaften Umweltwissenschaften Umweltwissenschaften
• Naturwissenschaften Astronomie Galaxien und Sterne
• Naturwissenschaften Astronomie Astrophysik
• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften: Allgemeines Populärwissenschaftliche Werke
• Naturwissenschaften Astronomie Kosmologie, Urknalltheorie
• Naturwissenschaften Physik Angewandte Physik Astrophysik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface; 1. The most powerful objects in the universe; 2. Weighing supermassive objects; 3. The black hole spacetime; 4. Formation of supermassive black holes; 5. Relativistic ejection of plasma; 6. Supermassive black holes in the universe.

Über Autor(innen)

Melia, Fulvio
Fulvio Melia is Professor of Astronomy and Associate Head of Physics at the University of Arizona.