The atom of the universe / Dominique Lambert ; preface by P. J. E. Peebles ; translated by Luc Ampleman ; edited by Karl Van Bibber ; editing, Aeddan Shaw ; cover design, Mariusz Banachowicz ; layout, Miroslaw Krzyszkowski.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lambert, Dominique, author.

Contributor:

Peebles, P. J. E., writer of preface.

Ampleman, Luc, translator.

Bibber, Karl Van, editor.

Shaw, Aeddan, editor.

Banachowicz, Mariusz, cover designer.

Krzyszkowski, Miroslaw, artist.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Mathematicians--Belgium--Biography.

Mathematicians.

Astronomers--Belgium--Biography.

Astronomers.

Astrophysics--History.

Astrophysics.

Big bang theory--History.

Big bang theory.

Cosmology--History.

Cosmology.

Lemaitre, Georges, 1894-1966.

Lemaitre, Georges.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (485 p.)

Place of Publication:

Krakow, [Poland] : Copernicus Center Press, 2015.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This biography takes readers from the early childhood to the last days of Georges Lemaitre, the man behind the theory of the primeval atom, now better known as the Big Bang theory. But, who was Georges Lemaitre? He was a clergyman, a genius astronomer, an audacious cosmologist, a computer enthusiast ahead of his time, a professor with his head in the clouds, a bon vivant mathematician, and a gourmand. The book peels away these layers, chapter by chapter, from the adventures of a boy from Charleroi (Belgium), who became Monseigneur Lemaitre and influenced contemporary cosmology. The Atom of the

Contents:

Contents; Preface; Acknowledgments ; Chapter I. From Louvain to Namur; 1. The reed and the Universe; 2. Sources; 3. Guide to this work; Chapter II. The early years: the Jesuits, mathematics nad the mines (1894-1914); 1. A Son from the Pays Noir; 2. At the Jesuit school; 3. The mines: a blind tunnel?; Chapter III. The Great War: from student to artilleryman (1914-1919); 1. The long walk to the Yser Front; 2. Back to the University: a new direction; Chapter IV. The seminarian and relativity (1920-1923; 1. The Saint-Rombaut house; 2. Lemaître, theology and the Amis de Jésus

2. Florescit et lucet3. "Servir"; 4. Lemaître's Chinese Disciple: Tchang Yong-Li; Chapter VIII. Arrival on the world scene? (1931-1939); 1. Travels and accolades; 2. Towards a theory of large-scale structures: the Lemaître-Tolman model; 3. A peek inside the black hole; 4. The defence of the "little lamb"; Chapter IX. Science and faith: the theory of the two paths (1924-1936); 1. The origin of the "two paths": a tripartite influence; 2. The Congress of Mechelen; 3. The Pontifical Academy of Sciences; Chapter X, An astronomer starstruck by algebra (1931-1957); 1. The Dirac equation redux (1931)

2. The Projektive Relativitätstheorie (1933-1935) and Relativistic Theory of Protons and Electrons (1937)3. The Fundamental Theory and the spinor of Cartan (1948); 4. The spinors: from the quantum field theory to history (1955-1957); Chapter XI. From cosmology to calculation: the Størmer problem; 1. The problem of the origin and nature of cosmic rays; 2. The determination of the orbits of cosmic rays: the Størmer problem; 3. The first "Lemaître's School": 1933-1945; 4. The Størmer problem after 1945; Chapter XII, A time of war (1940-1944); 1. Exodus ; 2. A time for solidarity

3. The time of isolation and reading4. A time of reprimand and trials; 5. Back to science; Chapter XIII. Lemaître the master. A portrait of his pedagogy (1940-1944); 1. Teaching and research, a seamless cloth; 2. Attending a class and passing exams with the Canon; Chapter XIV. From mechanics to calculators and back again (1940-1944); 1. Mechanics and cosmology: the nebulae and their clusters; 2. Numerical calculation; 3. Mesmerized by machines ; 4. The apotheosis: the three-body problem; Chapter XV. Faith and science: the Un'Ora problem (1951-1952)

1. From Deus Absconditus to the natural beginning of the universe

Notes:

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (ebrary, viewed July 29, 2015).

Original title: Un atome d'univers. La vie et l'oeuvre de Georges Lemaitre.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

83-7886-050-7