Background
Sciama, Dennis William was born on November 18, 1926 in Manchester, United Kingdom. Son of Abraham and Nelly (Ades) Sciama.
(This book shows how modern cosmology and astronomy have l...)
This book shows how modern cosmology and astronomy have led to the need to introduce dark matter in the universe to account for mass. Some of this dark matter is in the familiar form of protons, electrons and neutrons, but most of it must have a more exotic form. The favored, but not the only, possibility is neutrinos of non-zero rest mass, pair-created in the hot big bang and surviving to the present day. After a review of modern cosmology, this book gives a detailed account of the author's recent theory in which these neutrinos decay into photons that are the main ionizing agents in hydrogen and nitrogen in the interstellar and intergalactic medium. This theory, though speculative, explains a number of rather different puzzling phenomena in astronomy and cosmology in a unified way and predicts values of various important quantities such as the mass of the decaying neutrino and the Hubble constant.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0521438489/?tag=2022091-20
(The exploration of the Universe, as conducted by physicis...)
The exploration of the Universe, as conducted by physicists, astronomers, and cosmologists was one of the greatest intellectual adventures of the mid-twentieth century. This book, first published in 1971, tells the story of their achievements and the insight gained into the structure, history, working and scale of our Universe. Dr Sciama describes the major components of the Universe as understood at the beginning of the 1970s: the stars, galaxies, radio-galaxies and quasi-stellar objects. He discusses in detail the red shift of the lines in their optical spectra, which leads to the idea that the Universe is expanding. Theoretical discussion of the expanding Universe suggests the possibility that intergalactic space may contain a significant quantity of matter and be the seat of important physical activity. The issues involved are thoroughly debated. Also discussed is the discover and significance of the 3'K' cosmic microwave radiation, its relation to the hot big bang and the helium problem, to cosmic high energy processes and to questions of isotropy.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0521287219/?tag=2022091-20
( Does the universe consist of independent objects, or is...)
Does the universe consist of independent objects, or is it a single unit? Are some of its features accidental, or can they all be explained in theoretical terms? This accessible book on cosmology addresses profound questions about the universe, and it offers elegant answers in simple, straightforward terms. Written by a distinguished cosmologist, it assumes no knowledge of physics or astronomy and illustrates its explanations with figures and compelling photos. The first part ventures back to the early Greek astronomers, who were the first to measure the Earth's size and the distance to the sun and the moon. It also examines the latter-day discoveries of distant galaxies, achieved with giant telescopes and mathematical calculations. The second part explores modern theories, including the author's own conviction that the universe is a single unit and that the behavior of nearby matter is strongly influenced by distant regions of the universe. A student of Fred Hoyle and Paul Dirac and a teacher of Stephen Hawking, D. W. Sciama is best known for his work on general relativity and black holes. Scientific American acclaimed his survey as "an engrossing book" and "an invigorating intellectual exercise that any mature reader can enjoy."
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0486472051/?tag=2022091-20
Sciama, Dennis William was born on November 18, 1926 in Manchester, United Kingdom. Son of Abraham and Nelly (Ades) Sciama.
Bachelor, Cambridge U., 1947; Doctor of Philosophy, Cambridge U., 1953.
Fellow, Trinity College Cambridge 1952-1956. Lecturer in Mathematics, Cambridge University 1961-1970;,Senior Research Fellow, All Souls College Oxford 1970-1985. Professor, of Astrophysics, Institute School of Advanced Studies, Trieste, Italy since 1983.
Consultant, Institute Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste since 1983.
Extraordinary Fellow, Churchill College, Cambridge since 1986.
( Does the universe consist of independent objects, or is...)
(The exploration of the Universe, as conducted by physicis...)
(This book shows how modern cosmology and astronomy have l...)
Fellow Royal Society, American Academy Arts & Sciences. Member American Philosophical Society (foreign member), Accademia Nazionali dei Lincei (foreign member).
Married Lidia Dina Sciama, November 26, 1959. Children: Susan, Sonia.