Current Topics in Astrofundamental Physics: The Cosmic Microwave Backg

This NATO Advanced Study Institute provided an up dated understanding, from a fundamental and deep point of view, of the progress and current problems in the early universe, cosmic microwave background radiation, large scale structure, dark matter problem, and the interplay between them. The focus was placed on the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation. Emphasis was given to the mutual impact of fundamental physics and cosmology, both at theoretical and experimental-or observational-levels, within a deep and well defined programme, and a global unifying view, which, in addition, provides of careful inter-disciplinarity. Special Lectures were devoted to neutrinos in astrophysics and high energy astrophysics. In addition, each Course of this series, introduced and promoted topics or subjects, which, although not being of purely astrophysical or cosmological nature, were of relevant physical interest for astrophysics and cosmology. Deep understanding, clarification, synthesis, careful interdisciplinarity within a fundamental physics framework, werethe maingoals ofthe course. Lectures ranged from a motivation and pedagogical introduction for students and participants not directly working in the field to the latest developmentsand most recent results. All Lectures were plenary, had the same duration and were followed by a discussion. The Course brought together experimentalists and theoretical physicists, astrophysicists and astronomers from a variety of backgrounds, including young scientists at post-doctoral level, senior scientists and advanced graduatestudentsas well.

Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute, Erice, Ettore Majorana Centre, Italy, 5-16 December 1999

Phase Transitions in the Early Universe.- Elements of Baryogenesis.- Out of EquilibriumFields in Selfconsistent Inflationary Dynamics. Density Fluctuations.- Minimal String DrivenCosmology and its Predictions.- New Dual Relations BetweenQuantumField Theory and String Regimes in CurvedBackgrounds.- Detectabilityof Relic Squeezed Gravitational Wavesby Laser Interferometers.- Gravitational Field and Its Energy-Momentum Tensor.- Observations and Theory of The Cosmic Microwave Background.- The 1+3 Covariant Approach to CMB Anisotropies. Erice lectures 1999.- Some Problems of the CMB Polarization.- The High Redshift Radio Universe.- In Search of the Early Universe. I. The Oldest Stars.- In Search of the Early Universe. II. The Youngest Galaxies.- Clusters of Galaxies and the Large Scale Structure.- Structure Formation of Galaxy Clusters and Beyond.- Warm Dark Matter. Clues to Primordial Phase Density from the Structure of Galaxy Halos.- Dark Matter as Determined from Energetic Particles.- Fractal Lacunarity and Scenarios for the Near-Isotropic Distribution of Galaxies.- Fractal Structures and the Large Scale Distribution of Galaxies.- The Cosmological Many-Body Problem and Some of its Observational Implications.- The Statistical Mechanics of the Self-Gravitating Gas: Equation of State and Fractal Dimension.- Renormalization Group Flow and Fragmentation in the Self-Gravitating Thermal Gas.- Bepposax: 3 Years of Operation. Highlights and Significant Results 483.- The Extreme Energy Cosmic Rays and Cosmic Neutrinos as Probes for the Distant Universe. Astrophysics Involved and Experimental Approach. 499.- Origin and Physics of the Highest Energy Particles in the Universe SIS.- The Gamma-Ray Bursts and the SWIFT Mission.- Neutrino Oscillations and Cosmology.- High Energy NeutrinoAstronomy: Towards Kilometer-Scale Detectors.- Accretion of Gas onto Black Holes.- Mass Extinctions of Species - Were Dinosaurs Killed by an Asteroid or Volcanoes?.- Opening the Third Millennium.- Photographs of the Institute.- Author Index.

Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute, Erice, Ettore Majorana Centre, Italy, 5-16 December 1999