STScI Preprint #1200

Cosmological Parameters and the Evolution of the Universe: Progress and Prospects

Introduction: I have been invited by the organisers to provide an overall perspective on the subject of this Symposium. Necessarily, this will be a subjective impression of topics in which there has been quite remarkable progress since the last General Assembly of the IAU, and which are of the greatest interest for the whole of science. In preparing a review of such an enormous field, one veers between optimism and pessimism about the successes and problems which have arisen. I hope to steer a realistic course between these extremes. Fortunately, there are many experts participating in this Symposium who will be able to neutralise my personal biases and provide authoritative opinions on all the topics I will cover.

I will divide the review into four sections:

1. The cosmological infrastructure;
2. The cosmological parameters;
3. The formation of galaxies and the large-scale structure of the Universe;
4. Observations of distant objects.

References to the authors of relevant reviews presented at the Symposium are indicated in upper-case letters in square brackets.

Status:

To appear in: The proceedings of IAU Symposium No. 183, Cosmological Parameters and Evolution of the Universe, held 18-22 August 1997

Download:

PostScript: prep1200.ps (156kB)

Affiliations:

¹) Space Telescope Science Institute 3700 San Martin Drive Baltimore, MD 21218 USA

²) Cavendish Laboratory, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK