Title: Early evolution of the universe and formation of structure
Description: Significant results are presented regarding the formation of structure in the universe and the key conclusions are put into the context of future research directions. Attention is given to the failure of hot big-bang cosmology to account for observable cosmological structures in spite of the solid foundations of the big-bang descriptions early universe evolution. The problems of classical cosmology are listed, and descriptions are given of the major tenets of the inflationary scenario and the linear vs nonlinear approaches to gravitational instability. Luminous matter is interpreted based on absorption models and the clustering in quasar absorption lines, and the creation of chemical elements is discussed in terms of nucleosynthesis and physical evidence for nucleosynthesis. It is concluded that a close connection exists between the problems of the very early universe solved in the inflationary scenario and the problems of structure formation and chemical evolution.
Subjects: Cosmology, Astrophysics