Alpha & Omega: The Search for the Beginning and End of the Universe is the second non-fiction book by Charles Seife, published by Viking, a division of Penguin Putnam, in 2003.

Alpha & Omega
Hardcover edition
AuthorCharles Seife
LanguageEnglish
SubjectCosmology
GenreNon-fiction
PublisherViking/Penguin Group
Publication date
2003
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint, e-book
Pages294 pp.
ISBN978-0670031795
Preceded byZero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea (2000) 
Followed byDecoding the Universe (2007) 

Background

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It is a survey of historic and contemporary efforts at cosmology: to describe the universe, trace the universe back to its origins, including the Big Bang Theory, and to determine the universe's eventual end-state. The books title refers to the Alpha and Omega appellation for Christ, as found in the Book of Revelation. A paperback reprint was published in 2004, also from Penguin.

Table of contents

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  • Preface
  1. "The First Cosmology: The Golden Age of the Gods"
  2. "The First Cosmological Revolution: The Copernican Theory"
  3. "The Second Cosmological Revolution: Hubble and the Big Bang"
  4. "The Third Revolution Begins: The Universe Amok"
  5. "The Music of the Spheres: The Cosmic Microwave Background"
  6. "The Dark Universe: What's the Matter with Matter?"
  7. "Darker Still: The Enigma of Exotic Dark Matter"
  8. "The Big Bang in Our Backyard: The Birth of Baryons"
  9. "The Good Nus: The Exotic Neutrino"
  10. "Supersymmetry: Fearlessly Framing the Laws of Matter"
  11. "Seeing the Invisible: MACHOs, WIMPs, and Illuminating the Darkest Regions of the Universe"
  12. "The Deepest Mystery in Physics: Λ, the Vacuum, and Inflation", Λ being the symbol for the Cosmological constant
  13. "Wrinkles in Spacetime: Gravitational Waves and the Early Universe"
  14. "Beyond the Third Revolution: Voyage to the Ends of Time"
  • "Appendix A: Tired Light Retired"
  • "Appendix B: Where Does Matter Come From?"
  • "Appendix C: Nobel Prizes in Physics—Past and Future" Seife predicts which scientists are likely to win a Nobel Prize for their work in cosmology.
  • "Appendix D: Some Experiments to Watch"
  • Glossary, Select Bibliography, Acknowledgements, Index

Reception

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The New York Times praised the book, describing it as "A primer on the history and state of cosmology that is easy to read and understand… Seife's book shines."[1] The Los Angeles Times described it as "provid(ing) a wonderfully clear and concise introduction to terms often too loosely bandied about, and to their interrelationships in the ongoing attempt of physicists to erect a unified theory of the universe."[2]

References

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