附註:Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. The dark night sky -- 2. The modern resolution and energy -- 3. The modern resolution and spectra -- 4. The dark matter -- 5. The vacuum -- 6. Axions -- 7. Neutrinos -- 8. Supersymmetric weakly interacting particles -- 9. Black holes -- 10. Conclusions.
摘要:Olbers' paradox states that given the Universe is unbounded, governed by the standard laws of physics, and populated by light sources, the night sky should be ablaze with light. Obviously this is not so. However, the paradox does not lie in nature but in our understanding of physics. A Universe with a finite age, such as follows from big-bang theory, necessarily has galaxies of finite age. This means we can only see some of the galaxies in the Universe, which is the main reason why the night sky is dark. Just how dark can be calculated using the astrophysics of galaxies and stars and the dynam.
