This is an introductory 4-th year undergraduate and masters level course (taught 2013 and 2014), covering:
- Observations and the Copernican principle
- Expansion and Hubble law
- Homogeneity, isotropy and the FRW model
- Redshift and cosmological distances
- Friedmann and energy conservation equations, fluid density evolution
- Critical density, geometry, evolution and age of the universe
- Matter content, dark matter and dark energy
- Thermal equilibrium, CMB blackbody, statistical mechanics
- Thermal history, electron-positron annihilation, recombination, nucleosynthesis
- Problems with the hot big bang
- Qualitative discussion of inflation, initial conditions, structure formation and cosmological constraints
No knowledge of General Relativity is assumed. Previous knowledge of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics would be an advantage, but the presentation is fairly self-contained.
The course is self-contained but is followed by Early Universe (covering general material at a more advanced level using GR, plus details of inflation, non-thermal evolution and structure formation).
Course Materials
- Course notes
- Slides: PowerPoint 2010, PDF
Question Sheets
- Problem sheet 0 (unassessed, answers)
- Problem sheet 1
- Problem sheet 2
- Problem sheet 3
- Problem sheet 4
Other Material
- Table of physical constants (handed out in exams)
Past Exam Questions
Books
- An Introduction to Modern Cosmology by Andrew Liddle
- Introduction to Cosmology by Barbara Ryden
- Introduction to Cosmology by Matts Roos
- Cosmology: A Very Short Introduction by Peter Coles
- Physical Foundations of Cosmology by Viatcheslav Mukhanov
Other Notes
- Statistical Physics and Cosmology by Gary Gibbons (no GR)
- Cosmology by Andrew Jaffe (has some GR)