Physics
Early Universe Cosmology
Instructor: Andreas Albrecht
=> NEW Makeup classes will take place Fri Mar 7 (4:10-5pm) and Wed Mar 12, 3-4pm
Physics
Early Universe Cosmology
Instructor: Andreas Albrecht
=> NEW Makeup classes will take place Fri Mar 7 (4:10-5pm) and Wed Mar 12, 3-4pm
Required Text: The Early Universe (Kolb and Turner) Addison Wesley
Other books that might be useful:
Introduction to Cosmology (B. Ryden) ISBN 0805389121 Much lower level and more accessible than K&T. Many students find going back and forth between this book and K&T very useful.
Meeting time: MWF 2:10-3pm 525 P/G Roessler
Designated makeup/extra lecture slots: Wed 3:10-4pm Friday 4-5pm 525 P/G (Please hold these spots open, to be used only as needed)
Topics Covered: Big Bang Cosmology, Nucleosynthesis, Dark Matter, Dark Energy/Cosmic Acceleration, Cosmic Inflation. (Cosmic structure formation will be mentioned briefly, but that is mainly the domain of Phys 263)
Course Grade: Based entirely on homework.
Homework: Homework will normally be assigned every Wednesday and is due the following Wednesday before the start of class. Late homework will not be accepted except by special arrangement with the instructor. Each week's homework will be given equal weight in the final grade unless otherwise specified. Matlab is the required computer language for the homework. I provide you with sample files and hints as needed, so students to not find the learning Matlab an onerous part of this course.
Collaboration: Students are encouraged to collaborate on their homework if it is helpful. However, each student is responsible for understanding thoroughly everything they turn in. I reserve the right to quiz individual students about their homework to make sure this rule is observed.
Reading assignment 1: Skim chapters 1 and 2 of K&T and read chapter 3. You will need some basic tools from chapter 3 for Homework 2.
Homework 1 (Due January 16 at start of class)
Homework 2 (Due January 25 at start of class)
Homework 3 (Due January 30 at start of class)
Homework 4 ++ Data file and hints For HW4 (Due Feb 8 at start of class)
Homework 5 (Due Feb 22 at start of class)
Homework 6 (Due Mar 5 at start of class)
Homework 7 (Due Mar 14 at 5pm)
Dark energy slides (from Cornell talk)
Bousso Lectures on the Cosmological Constant (see here for "anthropic" arguments)
Archive of emails to the course mailing list (to appear)