Inflationary Cosmology (Lecture Notes in Physics #738)

Some 25 years after the birth of inflationary cosmology this volume sets out to provide a both authoritative and pedagogical introduction and review of the state of the field. Cosmic inflation corresponds to an episode of accelerated expansion of the very early universe and solves nicely a collection of puzzles that had plagued standard cosmology so far. Different scenarios exist, though, and the reader will learn about the "ins" and "outs" as the subject and related issues are surveyed. With lectures written by eminent scientists in the field, many of them having made pioneering contributrions in the early hours of the field, "Inflationary Cosmology" addresses both senior and younger high-energy physicists, cosmologists and observational astrophysicists seeking both a readable account and reference in the field.