Introduction To Cosmology Ryden

[Exequiel Mondragon]

Cosmologyis the science of the whole Universe: its past history,present structure and future evolution. In this module we discuss howour understanding of cosmology has developed over time, and study howthe observed properties of the universe, particularly the rate ofexpansion, the chemical composition, and the nature of cosmicmicrowave background, can be used to constrain theoretical models andobtain values for the parameters of the now-standard Hot Big Bangcosmological model.

This starts with a brief introduction to the basic ideas ofcosmology, and then moves on to consider the beginnings of modernscientific ideas in the Renaissance. We then discuss the principlesof Special and General Relativity and their impact on cosmological theories.Part 2: Relativistic CosmologyWe consider the history and future of a universe described by GeneralRelativity in the cases where it is dominated by radiation, matter,the curvature of spacetime or a cosmological constant. This is themost mathematical section of the course.

A "short" 20th century, i.e. between 1915 (thepublication of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity) and the late1990s (the birth of "precision" cosmology). We look at the expansionof the universe, the Big Bang and Steady State cosmological models,the cosmic microwave background, and the inflationary scenario.

Some highlights from the modern era of "precision" cosmology: theuse of computer simulations in the study of structure formation, thedetermination of the Hubble constant from the HST Key Project, the useof Type Ia supernovae in studying the variation in the Hubbleparameter, and the detailed study of the microwave backgroundanisotropies.

The following three books are all useful for this course. Andrew Liddle, An Introduction to Modern CosmologyMore or less what it says on the can: a short, theory-orientated,up-to-date introductory book. Covers most of what's in the course atthe right sort of level. Not the most exciting textbook you'll everread, I have to admit, but it will do the job. Currently in itssecond edition. Michael Rowan-Robinson, CosmologyMuch more observationally oriented than Liddle, and pitched at aslightly higher level, though there's not much in it. The currentedition is the fourth. To be preferred to Liddle if you want to seethe observational evidence for our model building.Barbara Ryden, Introduction to CosmologyThe newest book of the three, first published in 2003 (thoughadmittedly the newest edition is Rowan-Robinson). At a similarlevel to Rowan-Robinson, but a little more theory-oriented (it doespresent the data, but less centrally). I must admit this is myfavourite of the three - I think she writes exceptionally well - butit's probably the hardest by a fraction and (because it's a hardback)the most expensive by some distance.The one I made most use of when writing the course is Ryden, butany one of these should be useful as a course text. All are in printand available from bookshops or the Internet; they cost 19, 29 and 39pounds respectively. The IC has four copies of each of them, and accessto an electronic version of Liddle. The sections of each text relevantto each lecture are listed on the courseworkpage of this website.

// Cosmology (Astro3)Course contentThe course will give an introduction to cosmology; theformation, content and evolution of the universe. The coursewill give the students a sense of how astrophysics and cosmologybuild upon concepts from nearly all parts of modern physics.Therefore, throughout there will be a basic introduction toastronomy and the physics required. In addition to standard problemsolving classes, the course will encourage critical thinking,introduce basic computing approaches, and expose the students tothe original literature. There will also be several inspirationallectures by recognized scientists.

The goal is that the student achieves a basic understanding ofthe Big Bang model, including why this is the prevalent theory, aninsight into modern cosmological problems such as what is darkmatter, what is dark energy, what is the cosmic microwave radiationand how the light elements (particularly hydrogen, deuterium,helium and lithium) were formed. The student will also obtainknowledge from the scientific literature and convey this to otherstudents. The student will learn the basic computing skills to gainincreased insight into universe physics.

The course gives the student competencesfor further studieswithin cosmology and astrophysics, e.g. through projects oradvanced courses. The student will also gain experience in criticalthinking about basic physics and gain widely applicable (but basic)computing skills.

It is recommended that the student has followed coursescorresponding to the mandatory physics, mathematics andastrophysics of the first two years of the physics BSc withspecialisation in astrophysics.

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