| Preface | p. xi |
| The standard model of cosmology | p. 1 |
| Introduction | p. 1 |
| The Robertson-Walker metric | p. 2 |
| Einstein equations for a Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universe | p. 5 |
| Scale factor dependence of the energy density | p. 7 |
| Time dependence of the scale factor | p. 8 |
| Age of the universe | p. 8 |
| The cosmological constant | p. 10 |
| Equilibrium thermodynamics in the expanding universe | p. 17 |
| Transition from radiation to matter domination | p. 19 |
| Cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) | p. 21 |
| Big-bang nucleosynthesis | p. 21 |
| Exercises | p. 27 |
| General references | p. 27 |
| Bibliography | p. 28 |
| Phase transitions in the early universe | p. 29 |
| Introduction | p. 29 |
| Partition functions | p. 30 |
| The effective potential at finite temperature | p. 33 |
| Phase transitions in the Higgs model | p. 36 |
| e[superscript 4 double less-than sign lambda] | p. 37 |
| e[superscript 4 double greater-than sign lambda] | p. 40 |
| Phase transitions in electroweak theory | p. 45 |
| Phase transitions in grand unified theories | p. 48 |
| Phase transitions in supersymmetric GUTs | p. 51 |
| Phase transitions in supergravity theories | p. 55 |
| Nucleation of true vacuum | p. 59 |
| Exercises | p. 63 |
| General references | p. 63 |
| Bibliography | p. 63 |
| Topological defects | p. 65 |
| Introduction | p. 65 |
| Domain walls | p. 66 |
| Global cosmic strings | p. 69 |
| Local cosmic strings | p. 71 |
| Gravitational fields of local cosmic strings | p. 74 |
| Double images | p. 75 |
| Temperature discontinuities | p. 76 |
| Cosmic string wakes | p. 76 |
| Dynamics of local cosmic strings | p. 76 |
| Magnetic monopoles | p. 80 |
| Monopole topological quantum number | p. 83 |
| Magnetic monopoles in grand unified theories | p. 85 |
| Abundance of magnetic monopoles | p. 86 |
| Exercises | p. 89 |
| General references | p. 89 |
| Bibliography | p. 89 |
| Baryogenesis | p. 91 |
| Introduction | p. 91 |
| Conditions for baryogenesis | p. 94 |
| Out-of-equilibrium decay of heavy particles | p. 96 |
| Baryogenesis in GUTs | p. 99 |
| Baryogenesis in SO(10) GUTs | p. 110 |
| Status of GUT baryogenesis | p. 113 |
| Baryon-number non-conservation in the Standard Model | p. 114 |
| Sphaleron-induced baryogenesis | p. 120 |
| CP-violation in electroweak theory | p. 127 |
| Phase transitions and electroweak baryogenesis | p. 129 |
| Supersymmetric electroweak baryogenesis | p. 132 |
| Affleck-Dine baryogenesis | p. 137 |
| Exercises | p. 142 |
| General references | p. 143 |
| Bibliography | p. 143 |
| Relic neutrinos and axions | p. 147 |
| Introduction | p. 147 |
| Relic neutrinos | p. 150 |
| Axions | p. 151 |
| Introduction: the strong CP problem and the axion solution | p. 151 |
| Visible and invisible axion models | p. 156 |
| Astrophysical constraints on axions | p. 159 |
| Axions and cosmology | p. 161 |
| Exercises | p. 169 |
| General references | p. 169 |
| Bibliography | p. 170 |
| Supersymmetric dark matter | p. 172 |
| Introduction | p. 172 |
| Weakly interacting massive particles or WIMPs | p. 175 |
| The gravitino problem | p. 177 |
| Minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) | p. 179 |
| Neutralino dark matter | p. 181 |
| Detection of dark matter | p. 187 |
| Neutralino-nucleon elastic scattering | p. 188 |
| WIMP annihilation in the sun or earth | p. 189 |
| WIMP annihilation in the halo | p. 192 |
| Exercises | p. 192 |
| General references | p. 193 |
| Bibliography | p. 193 |
| Inflationary cosmology | p. 195 |
| Introduction | p. 195 |
| Horizon, flatness and unwanted relics problems | p. 195 |
| The horizon problem | p. 195 |
| The flatness problem | p. 197 |
| The unwanted relics problem | p. 198 |
| Old inflation | p. 199 |
| New inflation | p. 201 |
| Reheating after inflation | p. 206 |
| Inflaton field equations | p. 208 |
| Density perturbations | p. 210 |
| A worked example | p. 214 |
| Complex inflaton field | p. 216 |
| Chaotic inflation | p. 217 |
| Hybrid inflation | p. 220 |
| The spectral index | p. 221 |
| Exercises | p. 224 |
| General references | p. 224 |
| Bibliography | p. 224 |
| Inflation in supergravity | p. 226 |
| Introduction | p. 226 |
| Models of supergravity inflation | p. 227 |
| D-term supergravity inflation | p. 232 |
| Hybrid inflation in supergravity | p. 234 |
| Thermal production of gravitinos by reheating | p. 237 |
| The Polonyi problem | p. 238 |
| Inflaton decays before Polonyi field oscillation | p. 240 |
| Inflaton decays after Polonyi field oscillation | p. 244 |
| Exercises | p. 248 |
| General references | p. 248 |
| Bibliography | p. 248 |
| Superstring cosmology | p. 249 |
| Introduction | p. 249 |
| Dilaton and moduli cosmology | p. 250 |
| Stabilization of the dilaton | p. 255 |
| Dilaton or moduli as possible inflatons | p. 259 |
| Ten-dimensional string cosmology | p. 260 |
| D-brane inflation | p. 265 |
| Pre-big-bang cosmology | p. 269 |
| M-theory cosmology--the ekpyrotic universe | p. 272 |
| Exercises | p. 273 |
| General references | p. 273 |
| Black holes in string theory | p. 275 |
| Introduction | p. 275 |
| Black-hole event horizons | p. 276 |
| Entropy of black holes | p. 281 |
| Perturbative microstates in string theory | p. 289 |
| Extreme black holes | p. 291 |
| Type II supergravity | p. 293 |
| Form fields and D-branes | p. 296 |
| Black holes in string theory | p. 298 |
| Counting the microstates | p. 303 |
| Problems | p. 305 |
| General references | p. 307 |
| Bibliography | p. 307 |
| Index | p. 309 |
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