This is a graduate (masters) level advanced cosmology course covering:
- Recap of hot big bang, FRW model, distances, Hubble law
- Geodesics, redshifting, energy conservation and Friedman equations in GR
- Equilibrium distributions and thermal history
- Boltzmann equation (unperturbed), freeze out and relics
- Problems with the hot big bang
- Inflation with a scalar field
- Cosmological perturbation theory
- Quantum generation of perturbations in inflation
- Power spectrum predictions from inflation
- Perturbation evolution and growth after reheating
- Free streaming and Silk damping
- Matter power spectrum
- CMB anisotropies
It is expected that you will have done a previous course in General Relativity. Knowledge of Lagrangian mechanics and quantum field theory is also an advantage, but required results will be quickly introduced when required.
For a more introductory course (without General Relativity) see the Cosmology course, which precedes this one (however this is now taught by Robert Smith with somewhat different content).
Notes
- Background cosmology and the hot big bang
- Inflation and generation of perturbations
- Perturbation evolution, structure formation and the CMB
Question sheets:
- Unassessed warm up problem
- Problem sheet 1
- Unassessed problem 2
- Problem sheet 2
- Unassessed problem 3
- Problem sheet 3
Open Note Exams
Books and other notes
There isn't a book that really covers the content of the course at a similar level, but some references may be useful for filling in details not covered by the course, different approaches and further reading.
- Lecture Notes in Cosmology by Oliver F. Piattella
- Introduction to Cosmology by Barbara Ryden
- Modern Cosmology by Scott Dodelson
- The Primordial Density Perturbation by David Lyth and Andrew Liddle
- Physical Foundations of Cosmology by Viatcheslav Mukhanov
- Cosmological Physics by John Peacock
- Cosmology by Steven Weinberg
- Primordial Cosmology by Patrick Peter
- Cosmic Microwave Background by Ruth Durrer
- Spacetime and Geometry by Sean Carroll
- An Introduction to Modern Cosmology by Andrew Liddle
- Introduction to Cosmology by Matts Roos
Toy problem worksheet on power spectra and transfer functions
Animations
- Time evolution of density transfer functions
- Real-space evolution of the CMB source until recombination
- Evolution of comoving photon density
- Comoving CDM density perturbation growth
- Comoving CDM density perturbations (growth scaled out)
- Acoustic photon wave from an overdensity
- Evolution of tensor amplitude
- Spherical harmonic decomposition
Extra off-syllabus material
Some of the derivations are rather long, and not included in the notes or lectures, e.g. the perturbed Einstein equations and the second order action for calculation of fluctuations in inflation. The course only aims to cover the starting point and results, and important physics, rather than lots of tedious calculation of Christoffel symbols.