

The phrase ``physical cosmology'' is generally associated with
the large (galaxy and cluster) scale structure of the
post-combination epoch where gravitational effects are modeled
approximately by Newtonian physics on an uniformly expanding,
matter dominated Friedmann-Robertson-Lemaître-Walker (FLRW)
background. A discussion of the large scale structure is included
in this review since any viable model of our Universe which
allows a regime where strongly general relativistic effects are
important must match onto the weakly relativistic (or Newtonian)
regime. Also, since certain aspects of this regime are directly
observable, one can hope to constrain or rule out various
cosmological models and/or parameters.
Due to the vast body of literature on numerical simulations of
the post-combination epoch, it is possible to mention only a
small fraction of all the published papers. Hence, the following
summary is limited to cover just a few aspects of computational
physical cosmology, and in particular those that can potentially
be used to discriminate between cosmological model parameters,
even within the realm of the standard model.


|
Physical and Relativistic Numerical Cosmology
Peter Anninos
http://www.livingreviews.org/lrr-1998-2
© Max-Planck-Gesellschaft. ISSN 1433-8351
Problems/Comments to
livrev@aei-potsdam.mpg.de
|