Cosmology (MVAstro4)

Wintersemester, 2011/2012

C.P. Dullemond, J. Hennawi, A. Maccio

Introduction

This lecture will give an introduction to cosmology. The lecture will feature a script, the chapters of which will be published on this web site as we go along. There will also be exercises, which will also be published.

Topics will include,among other things:

• Basic concepts of cosmology
• Newtonian picture of an expanding Universe, some concepts from general relativity.
• Friedmann equations and basic solutions. Standard model of the expansion of the Universe.
• Thermal evolution before CMB release, nucleosynthesis, neutrino background.
• Growth of density perturbations. Power spectrum of density perturbations.
• Formation of dark matter halos. Press-Schechter mass function.
• Formation of CMB fluctuations, Sachs-Wolfe effect, baryonic acoustic oscillations.
• Cosmological inflation
• Dark Energy
• ... Rest to be determined ...

Organization

• The lecture and exercise class will be in English
• The lecture will take place on Tuesdays from 14:15-16:00 in the neue Hoersaal of Phil 12 (this is this extra building down the hill from the main Phil 12 building). The first lecture will be on October 11. The lecture is given by C.P. Dullemond.
• There will subsequently be exercises from 16:15 to 17:00. Two parallel exercise classes are scheduled: one in the neue Hoersaal, one in the seminarroom of Albert Ueberle 3-5. The tutors are Alberto Rorai and Mei Sasaki.
• There will also be a seminar each Friday 14:15-16:00, now scheduled in the Neuenheimer Feld: INF 501, R.102. This will be organized by Joe Hennawi and Andrea Maccio. The idea of this seminar is to read and discuss influential papers in cosmology and thus to get a better insight into the status of the field.

Script

• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: A Newtonian expanding Universe
• Chapter 3: General Relativity in a Nutshell
• Chapter 4: Friedmann model of the Universe (NOTE: Error in script on page 24 has been fied)
• Chapter 5: Formation of structure I: Linear perturbations
• Chapter 6: Formation of structure II: Formation of DM halos
• Chapter 7: Thermodynamics of the early Universe
• Chapter 8: Anisotropies in the CMB
• Chapter 9: Inflation

Exercises

• Exercise sheet 1
• Exercise sheet 2
• Exercise sheet 3
• Exercise sheet 4
• Exercise sheet 5
• Exercise sheet 6
• Exercise sheet 7
• Exercise sheet 8
• Exercise sheet 9
• Exercise sheet 10
• Exercise sheet 11
• Exercise sheet 12

More material

Some material will only be posted on the Moodle. Currently this includes the introduction presentation as well as the material related to the seminar.

Literature

The lecture will not require additional literature. But I can strongly recommend the lecture notes on cosmology by M. Bartelmann. Furthermore a nice book is that of Liddle "An introduction to modern cosmology" (Wiley). Classics are: Padmanabhan "Structure formation in the universe" (Cambridge University Press), Peacock "Cosmological Physics" (Cambridge University Press) and Peebles "Principles of physical cosmology" (Princeton University Press).