Paradigms Of The Large Scale Universe

Since this mathematical technique is not yet a familiar tool in the field of astrophysics, a summary of the fundamental ideas of differential geometry, ergodic theory and catastrophe theory is presented. Such a unified approach facilitates the study of a wide range of, at first sight, very different phenomena within the same physical framework, thus revealing their universal underlying properties.

This unique volume is a collection of papers on various problems in astrophysics and cosmology ? from planetary motion to the arrow of time ? that are closely linked by the common spirit, technique and methodology of chaos.

In 1975 the Marcel Grossmann Meetings were established by Remo Ruffini and Abdus Salam to provide a forum for discussion of recent advances in gravitation, general relativity, and relativistic field theories. In these meetings, which are held once every three years, every aspect of research is emphasized - mathematical foundations, physical predictions, and numerical and experimental investigations. The major objective of these meetings is to facilitate exchange among scientists, so as to deepen our understanding of the structure of space-time and to review the status of both the ground-based and the space-based experiments aimed at testing the theory of gravitation.The Marcel Grossmann Meetings have grown under the guidance of an International Organizing Committee and a large International Coordinating Committee. The first two meetings, MG1 and MG2, were held in Trieste (1975, 1979). A most memorable MG3 (1982) was held in Shanghai and represented the first truly international scientific meeting in China after the so-called Cultural Revolution. Three years later MG4 was held in Rome (1985). It was at MG4 that ';astroparticle physics'; was born.MGIXMM was organized by the International Organizing Committee composed of D Blair, Y Choquet-Bruhat, D Christodoulou, T Damour, J Ehlers, F Everitt, Fang Li Zhi, S Hawking, Y Ne'eman, R Ruffini (chair), H Sato, R Sunyaev, and S Weinberg. Essential to the organization was an International Coordinating Committee of 135 members from scientific institutions of 54 countries. MGIXMM was attended by 997 scientists of 69 nationalities. It took place on 2-8 July 2000 at the University of Rome, Italy. The scientific programs included 60 plenary and review talks, as well as talks in 88 parallel sessions. The three volumes of the proceedings of MGIXMM present a rather authoritative view of relativistic astrophysics, which is becoming one of the priorities in scientific endeavour. The papers appearing in these volumes cover all aspects of gravitation, from mathematical issues to recent observations and experiments. Their intention is to give a complete picture of our current understanding of gravitational theory at the turn of the millennium.The Marcel Grossmann Individual Awards for this meeting were presented to Cecille and Bryce DeWitt, Riccardo Giacconi and Roger Penrose, while the Institutional Award went to the Solvay Institute, accepted on behalf of the Institute by Jacques Solvay and Ilya Prigogine. The acceptance speeches are also included in the proceedings.

In 1975 the Marcel Grossmann Meetings were established by Remo Ruffini and Abdus Salam to provide a forum for discussion of recent advances in gravitation, general relativity, and relativistic field theories. In these meetings, which are held once every three years, every aspect of research is emphasized - mathematical foundations, physical predictions, and numerical and experimental investigations. The major objective of these meetings is to facilitate exchange among scientists, so as to deepen our understanding of the structure of space-time and to review the status of both the ground-based and the space-based experiments aimed at testing the theory of gravitation.The Marcel Grossmann Meetings have grown under the guidance of an International Organizing Committee and a large International Coordinating Committee. The first two meetings, MG1 and MG2, were held in Trieste (1975, 1979). A most memorable MG3 (1982) was held in Shanghai and represented the first truly international scientific meeting in China after the so-called Cultural Revolution. Three years later MG4 was held in Rome (1985). It was at MG4 that ';astroparticle physics'; was born.MGIXMM was organized by the International Organizing Committee composed of D Blair, Y Choquet-Bruhat, D Christodoulou, T Damour, J Ehlers, F Everitt, Fang Li Zhi, S Hawking, Y Ne'eman, R Ruffini (chair), H Sato, R Sunyaev, and S Weinberg. Essential to the organization was an International Coordinating Committee of 135 members from scientific institutions of 54 countries. MGIXMM was attended by 997 scientists of 69 nationalities. It took place on 2-8 July 2000 at the University of Rome, Italy. The scientific programs included 60 plenary and review talks, as well as talks in 88 parallel sessions. The three volumes of the proceedings of MGIXMM present a rather authoritative view of relativistic astrophysics, which is becoming one of the priorities in scientific endeavour. The papers appearing in these volumes cover all aspects of gravitation, from mathematical issues to recent observations and experiments. Their intention is to give a complete picture of our current understanding of gravitational theory at the turn of the millennium.The Marcel Grossmann Individual Awards for this meeting were presented to Cecille and Bryce DeWitt, Riccardo Giacconi and Roger Penrose, while the Institutional Award went to the Solvay Institute, accepted on behalf of the Institute by Jacques Solvay and Ilya Prigogine. The acceptance speeches are also included in the proceedings.

**WINNER OF THE 2020 NOBEL PRIZE IN PHYSICS** The Road to Reality is the most important and ambitious work of science for a generation. It provides nothing less than a comprehensive account of the physical universe and the essentials of its underlying mathematical theory. It assumes no particular specialist knowledge on the part of the reader, so that, for example, the early chapters give us the vital mathematical background to the physical theories explored later in the book. Roger Penrose's purpose is to describe as clearly as possible our present understanding of the universe and to convey a feeling for its deep beauty and philosophical implications, as well as its intricate logical interconnections. The Road to Reality is rarely less than challenging, but the book is leavened by vivid descriptive passages, as well as hundreds of hand-drawn diagrams. In a single work of colossal scope one of the world's greatest scientists has given us a complete and unrivalled guide to the glories of the universe that we all inhabit. 'Roger Penrose is the most important physicist to work in relativity theory except for Einstein. He is one of the very few people I've met in my life who, without reservation, I call a genius' Lee Smolin

In the development of Fundamental Physics on one side, and of Astronomy/Cosmology on the other side, periods of parallell, relatively independent progress seem to alternate with others of intense interaction and mutual influence. To this latter case belong the very beginnings of Modern Physics, with Galileo and Newton. There is now a widespread feeling that another of such flourishing periods may have started some ten years ago, with the advent of Unified Theories and the introduction of Inflationary Cosmologies. The interaction between the two disciplines has become tighter ever since, spurring studies of e. g. astronomical and particle Dark Matter candidates, Superstrings and Cosmic Strings, phase transitions in the Early Universe, etc. etc. Then the recent birth of Neutrino Astronomy has added further flavor to this splendid conjunction. It was indeed with the clear perception of this trend that six years ago CERN and ESO decided to jointly organize a series of symposia focusing on the interactions between Astronomy, Cosmology, and Fundamental Physics, to be held about every two years. The aim of these meetings is to bring together astronomers, cosmologists, and particle physicists to exchange information, to discuss scientific issues of common interest, and to take note of the latest devolopments in each discipline that are relevant to the other. The First ESO-CERN Symposium was held at CERN (Geneva) on November 21-25, 1983. Then for its Second edition the ESO-CERN Symposium moved to Garching bei Miinchen, where ESO headquarters are located, and took place on March 17-21, 1986.

Space science in China is one of the most active areas in modern science, and China has played a dynamic and steadily increasing role in this field since the 1960s. Until recently, however, activity in China was a mystery to the rest of the world. With the commercial importance of space, and the fact that space is now used as a "laboratory" to carry out various experiments, China has recently emerged as an important international competitor. Space Science in China provides a clear understanding of the latest research and progress in such wide-ranging areas as the development and research in solar-terrestrial science, space astronomy, geoscience, remote sensing, microgravity science, and life science.

This volume contains a series of topical lectures in general relativity, cosmology, astrophysics, and field theory, with contributions from theorists and experimentalists.