From First Light to Reionization: The End of the Dark Ages

Cosmology is a very active field of research and intense ongoing activity is devoted to the study of how structures grow from the density perturbations emerged after the Big Bang. This book covers the period starting with the recombination of Hydrogen and the release of the cosmic microwave background radiation and ending with the formation of the first galaxies. The book describes our basic understanding of the processes occurring in the early universe between recombination and reionization of hydrogen. It will address in particular First Light, the formation of the first stars, first galaxies and first active galactic nuclei. The theoretical overview will be followed by a description of current ongoing studies and future observational studies of this era when the first discrete objects formed in the universe. The book, written in a coherent manner, provides a direct link between newest theory and experiment. It is oriented at cosmological problems rather than at methods and discusses a wide range of experimental techniques to address these problems.Stiavelli, Massimo is the author of 'From First Light to Reionization: The End of the Dark Ages' with ISBN 9783527407057 and ISBN 3527407057.