Measuring Ancient Light
Thushara Perera
Office: C007C in CNS
556-3888
email: tperera
Office Hrs: Mon 10-11, Tue 10-noon, Wed 10-11, Fri 10-11. But feel free to drop by at any time
Text: Introduction to Cosmology by Barbara Ryden
Class room: E 105 in CNS
Class days and times: MWF 2:00 to 2:50 PM
Homework: 25%
Best 2 out of 3 midterms: 25%
In-class presentations: 25%
Final Exam: 25%
Dates | Topics |
---|---|
Week 1 (8/26) | Astronomy background knowledge, Cosmological principle, Comoving observers, Hubble Law |
Week 2 (9/4) | Comoving observers/coordinates, Special Relativity, Equivalence Principle and General Relativity, Cosmological Time, Curved Spacetime, the Line Element |
Week 3 (9/9) | Proper distance and time, Friedmann Equation, Fluid Equation, Equation of state |
Week 4 (9/16) | Cosmological Redshift, Simple Models of Single component universes |
Week 5 (9/23) | Multi-component universes, Critical Density, Fate of the Universe |
Week 6 (9/30) | Cosmological Constant, Light Cones and Horizons |
Week 7 (10/7) | Measurement of cosmological parameters, Luminosity Distance, Angular Diameter Distance |
Week 8 (10/14) | Flatness, Horizon, Monopole Problems; Inflation |
Week 9 (10/21) | Dark Matter: evidence for |
Week 10 (10/28) | Dark Matter: search for |
Week 11 (11/4) | Cosmic Microwave Background: observations |
Week 12 (11/11) | Neucleosynthesis |
Week 13 (11/18) | Inflation and very early times |
Week 14 (11/25) | Cosmological ideas in history |
Week 15 (12/2) | Structure Formation |