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Article Contents

ABSTRACT

1.INTRODUCTION: THE LIGHT OF THE NIGHT SKY

2.THE INTENSITY OF COSMIC BACKGROUND RADIATION

2.1.Bolometric intensity

2.2.Characteristic values

2.3.Matter, energy and expansion

2.4.Olbers' paradox

2.5.Flat single-component models

2.6.Curved and multi-component models

2.7.A look ahead

3.THE SPECTRUM OF COSMIC BACKGROUND RADIATION

3.1.Spectral intensity

3.2.Comoving luminosity density

3.3.The delta-function spectrum

3.4.The Gaussian spectrum

3.5.The Planckian spectrum

3.6.Normal and starburst galaxies

3.7.Comparison with observation

3.8.Spectral resolution of Olbers' paradox

4.DARK MATTER AND DARK ENERGY

4.1.The four elements of modern cosmology

4.2.Baryonic dark matter

4.3.Cold dark matter

4.4.Massive neutrinos

4.5.Dark energy

4.6.Cosmological concordance

4.7.The coincidental Universe

5.DARK ENERGY

5.1.The variable cosmological "constant"

5.2.Models based on scalar fields

5.3.Theoretical and observational challenges

5.4.A phenomenological model

5.5.Energy density

5.6.Source luminosity

5.7.Bolometric intensity

5.8.Spectral energy distribution

5.9.The microwave background

6.AXIONS

6.1."Invisible" axions

6.2.The multi-eV window

6.3.Axion halos

6.4.Bolometric intensity

6.5.The infrared and optical backgrounds

7.NEUTRINOS

7.1.The decaying-neutrino hypothesis

7.2.Neutrino halos

7.3.Halo luminosity

7.4.Free-streaming neutrinos

7.5.Extinction by gas and dust

7.6.The ultraviolet background

8.WEAKLY INTERACTING MASSIVE PARTICLES

8.1.The lightest supersymmetric particle

8.2.Pair annihilation

8.3.One-loop decays

8.4.Tree-level decays

8.5.Gravitinos

8.6.The x-ray and gamma-ray backgrounds

9.BLACK HOLES AND SOLITONS

9.1.Primordial black holes

9.2.Evolution and density

9.3.Spectral energy distribution

9.4.Bolometric intensity

9.5.Spectral intensity

9.6.Solitons

10.CONCLUSIONS

REFERENCES