This volume presents the newest results and developments in the fast-moving field of astroparticle physics. The following topics are covered: dark matter, baryogenesis, neutrino physics and astrophysics, inflation, topological defects, cosmic ray physics and cosmological implications of grand unification, supersymmetry, superstrings and extra dimensions.

This volume presents the newest results and developments in the fast-moving field of astroparticle physics. The following topics are covered: dark matter, baryogenesis, neutrino physics and astrophysics, inflation, topological defects, cosmic ray physics and cosmological implications of grand unification, supersymmetry, superstrings and extra dimensions.

This book has been prepared to celebrate the 65th birthday of Gabriele Veneziano and his retirement from CERN in September 2007. This reti- ment certainly will not mark the end of his extraordinary scienti?c career (in particular, he will remain on the permanent sta? of the Coll` ege de France in Paris), but we believe that this important step deserves a special celebration, and an appropriate recognition of his monumental contribution to physics. Our initial idea of preparing a volume of Selected papers of Professor Gabriele Veneziano, possibly with some added commentary, was dismissed when we realized that this format of book, very popular in former times, has become redundant today because of the full “digitalization” of all important physical journals, and their availability online in the electronic archives. We have thus preferred an alternative (and unconventional, but probably more e?ective) form of celebrating Gabriele’s birthday: a collection of new papers written by his main collaborators and friends on the various aspects of th- retical physics that have been the object of his research work, during his long and fruitful career.

Provides a radically new interpretation of the political makeup of the Qing Empire, grounded on extensive examination of the Mongolian and Manchu sources.

The first of its kind, the Symposium on the Future of the Universe and the Future of our Civilization examined the current status and future evolution of the Universe, the Galaxy, the stars and the Sun. Among the major subjects of discussion were: (1) How was our Universe born? (2) How do the Sun and the stars evolve? (3) What is the destiny of the solar system and the Universe? (4) What are the origins and the future of the biosphere of the Earth? (5) What are the prospects of survival of human civilization?Special attention was devoted to analysis of humanitarian and philosophical problems of evolution of humankind on the planet Earth and in the Universe. Among them were methodological, economic, sociological and medical aspects of the progress of civilization. Scientists from different countries put forward some practical proposals, including those describing the possible ways out of the systemic crisis of our civilization.

Neutrinos are one of the most abundant particles in the universe. Because they have very little interaction with matter, however, they are incredibly difficult to detect. Neutrinos are similar to the more familiar electron, with one crucial difference: neutrinos do not carry electric charge. Because neutrinos are electrically neutral, they are not affected by the electromagnetic forces which act on electrons. Three types of neutrinos are known. Each type or 'flavour' of neutrino is related to a charged particle (which gives the corresponding neutrino its name). Hence, the 'electron neutrino' is associated with the electron, and two other neutrinos are associated with heavier versions of the electron called the muon and the tau. The book presents citations from the literature for the last three years from the journal literature and the existent book literature. Access is provided by subject, author and title indexes.