Birth of the Universe and Fundamental Physics [electronic resource] : Proceedings of the International Workshop Held in Rome, Italy, 18–21 May 1994 / edited by Franco Occhionero.

Wave function of the universe and particle physics -- Gravitational topological charge -- Cosmological principle and the debate about large scale structures distribution -- Statistics of cosmological inhomogeneities -- The potential of potential reconstruction -- Naturalness of inflation -- Inflation and gravitational waves -- Stationary Universe Model: Inputs and Outputs -- The inflationary role of the dilaton in string cosmology -- String cosmology -- Multidimensional cosmological models: Classical and quantum solutions -- Semiclassical equations for homogeneous cosmologies with perturbations -- Nöther symmetries and exact solutions -- Thermodynamics of solitons -- A Schrödinger equation for quantum universes -- Cosmic time machines -- First post inflationary particles equation of state -- Thermal quantum corrections to (Anti) de Sitter geometry -- Primordial non-gaussian signatures in the sky -- Quantum diffusion of planck mass and the evolution of the universe -- Billiard representation for multidimensional quantum cosmology near the singularity -- Connecting inflation to observations -- False vacuum chaotic Inflation: The new paradigm? -- Comments on standard cosmology -- Emergence of classical geometry in quantum cosmology -- Non-linear relativistic evolution of cosmological perturbations in irrotational dust -- Observing cosmic strings through their lensing properties -- Scalar-tensor theories with generalized dilaton couplings -- Long-range energy and momentum transfer in the Quark-Hadron Phase Transition -- Exact solutions for cosmological perturbations with collisionless matter -- First-order inflation in general relativity -- Beyond direct hierarchical clustering -- Evidence that gamma-ray bursts repeat and are Galactic in origin -- Quasars and large scale structure of the universe -- Primordial perturbation spectra with broken scale invariance and comparison with observations -- Mixed cold-hot dark matter model with a falling initial perturbation spectrum -- Voids and adhesion theory -- The current status of late time phase transition models -- Primary anisotropy detections in the cosmic microwave background -- COBE observations of the Big Bang -- The COBRAS/SAMBA mission -- Cosmic strings confront COBE -- Beyond the central limit theorem -- Using the equation of hydrostatic equilibrium for the determination of galaxy clusters masses -- The cluster distribution as a test for dark matter models -- Kurtosis of cosmological density and velocity fields -- CMBR polarization from gravitational waves -- Hamilton-Jacobi theory and the Zel'dovich approximation -- The effect of gravitational lensing on observations of the CMBR -- Angular momentum redistribution in remnants of merger of galaxies -- Galaxy surveys and dark matter models: The statistics of voids -- X-ray data vs. galaxy velocity dispersions in galaxy clusters -- Gravitational microlensing by halo dark matter -- Merging rates inside large scale structures -- The environment of local AGNs -- A comparison of approximations to gravitational instability -- Primordial molecules in the collapse phase of a protocloud -- The least-action approach to gravitational instability -- Stochastic aggregation model for the multifractal distribution of matter -- The theory of everything vs the theory of anything -- Baryogenesis in brief -- The complex scalar field, instantons and inflationary universes -- Cosmoparticle physics of family symmetry breaking -- Recent progress in inflationary cosmology -- Black holes, wormholes, and time machines -- Concluding Remarks.

The articles collected in this volume cover topics ranging from Planck-scale physics to galaxy clustering. They deal with various new ideas from cosmology, astrophysics and particle physics that might lead to a better understanding of our physical universe. Among the topics covered are inflationary models, nucleosynthesis, dark matter, large-scale clustering, cosmic microwave background radiations and more. The book addresses researchers but it also gives a good overview of the subject for graduate students in astrophysics and particle physics.