Astronomy 321:
Cosmology
Josh Frieman (frieman@fnal.gov) Tel: (630)840-2226 (FNAL); (773)702-7971 (UC)
Winter Quarter 2000
Class schedule:
Tuesday, Thursday 1:30 -- 2:50 pm
in AAC 107
This course will focus on the physical concepts underpinning our
understanding of the structure and evolution of the Universe on
the largest scales.
Note: there will be no class on Feb. 1. We'll have a possible
make-up class on March 14, schedules permitting.
Required work will include several problem sets and either a
final exam or project (to be determined).
Course Outline:
I. Introductory Overview
a. Historical Introduction
b. Expansion of the Universe
c. The Cosmological Principle: evidence for homogeneity & isotropy
II. Particle Kinematics
a. Peculiar velocities
b. The Redshift
III. Newtonian Cosmology
a. Expansion Dynamics: the Friedmann equations
b. The Cosmological Parameters
IV. Relativistic Cosmology
a. Introduction to General Relativity
b. Friedmann-Robertson-Walker models: spatial curvature, horizons, etc.
V. Classical Determination of Cosmological Parameters
a. The Expansion Rate: the Distance Scale and the Hubble Parameter
b. Age of the Universe
c. The Mean Density of the Universe: Evidence for Dark Matter
d. Dark Energy: the Cosmological Constant and its variants
VI. The Hot Big Bang
a. Thermodynamics review
b. Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation
c. Relic Neutrinos
d. Weakly Interacting Massive Particles and Dark Matter
VII. Big Bang Nucleosynthesis
a. Predictions for Light Element Abundances
b. Observations of Element Abundances: constraints on the baryon density
& number of light neutrinos
VIII. Inflation
a. Motivations: flatness, horizon, and structure problems
b. Theoretical framework: scalar field dynamics
c. Density perturbations from inflation
IX. Structure Formation
a. Linear Perturbation Theory
b. The Cold Dark Matter Models
c. Biased Galaxy Formation
d. Measures of Large-scale Structure: power spectra, correlation functions,
and Galaxy Surveys
X. Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropies
a. Sachs-Wolfe effect
b. Angular Power Spectrum: Acoustic peaks
c. The CMB as a Probe of Cosmological parameters
Primary Texts:
J. Peacock, Cosmological Physics (1999)
P.J.E. Peebles, Principles of Physical Cosmology (1993)
(both available in University of Chicago Bookstore)
Other recommended Texts:
E. Kolb and M. Turner, The Early Universe (1990)
P.J.E. Peebles, The Large-scale Structure of the Universe (1980)
S. Weinberg, Gravitation and Cosmology (1972)
J. Peacock, A. Heavens, A. Davies, eds., Physics of the Early
Universe (1990)
M. Rowan-Robinson, The Cosmological Distance Scale (1985)
plus other review articles