Cosmological Conundrums

This book is based on an in-depth filmed conversation between Howard Burton and Justin Khoury, Professor of Physics at the University of Pennsylvania. This thoughtful, extensive conversation gives a window into the world of what a practicing, theoretical physicist cosmologist is doing all day long and examines a wide range of fascinating topics that his research covers such as the early universe, the Big Bang, dark matter, dark energy, Cosmic Microwave Background, the MOND (Modified Newtonian Dynamics) theory, and more.

This carefully-edited book includes an introduction, Into The Light, and questions for discussion at the end of each chapter:

I. Becoming A Physicist- The power of passion
II. The Victim of Its Success? -Swinging scientific pendulums
III. Periodically Fiery- Calculating colliding branes
IV. The CMB- Almost completely homogeneous
V. The Process of Discovery- Typically messier than you think
VI. Learning from History- Missing mass or missing theory?
VII. MOND vs. Dark Matter, Part I- Looking at galaxies
VIII. MOND vs. Dark Matter, Part II- Dark matter roars back
IX. Why Not Both? -The liquid helium analogy
X. Dark Energy- Vacuum energy and the cosmological constant problem
XI. Personal vs. Professional- The scientist as childlike iconoclast
XII. Revolutionary Rumblings- Cosmology's Golden Age