Advanced Cosmology.

PhD Program on Physics and Mathematics.
Master on Cosmology and Particle Physics.
Faculty of Sciences.
University of Salamanca.
Year:
2006-2007
Teachers:
Fernando Atrio Barandela, Kerstin Kunze.
More Information:
Program:
Bibliography:
Problems:
Grades:

Program
  1. The Homogeneous Universe: Friedmann equations. Cosmological parameters: Dark Matter, Dark Energy, Cosmological Constant. Angular and Luminosity distances. Brief history of the Universe. Limitations of the Big-Bang Model: horizon and flatness problem.
  2. The Inflation Paradigm: The cosmological constant problem. Scalar fields in Cosmology. Slow Roll Inflation. Solution of the horizon and flatness problems. Hamilton-Jacobi formulation of inflation. Reheating.
  3. The Inhomogeneous Universe: Matter distribution in the Universe. Density Contrast. Matter denstiy power spectrum and correlation function. Galaxy catalogues: normalization of the matter power spectrum.
  4. Structure Formation: Gaussian perturbations. Density perturbations: Newtonian treatment. Peculiar velocities and peculiar gravity. Equations of evolution of matter density perturbations. Evolution during the dark matter and dark energy dominated periods. The baryon density contrast: newtonian treatment.
  5. The Harrison-Zeldovich Power Spectrum: Scale invariance at horizon entry. From Horizon-entry to galaxy formation. The Harrison-Zeldovich Power Spectrum. Initial conditions: Adiabatic and Isocurvature density perturbations. The spectral index and its running.
  6. The Cosmic Microwave Background: The Cosmic Microwave Background Ratiation. Recombination and Decoupling: Last Scattering Surface. Temperature anisotropies: the Dipole. Multipoles. The Sachs-Wolfe formalism. The power spectrum of the CMB temperature anisotropies. Observational results: COBE and WMAP. Constraints on inflation.
  7. Other observational tests: The Hubble diagram from SNIa. Peculiar Velocities. Integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect. The Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect: thermal and kinematic. Cross-correlation of galaxy catalogs and CMB maps.

Bibliography

Grades
For the student to pass, it will be required to solve the problems posed by the teachers in class. Those solutions will make up to 30% of the final grade. 40% will come from solving the more advanced problem sheet and 30% from discussing one recent article from the astro-ph data base.
Fernando Atrio Barandela
Departamento de Fisica Fundamental
Universidad de Salamanca
37008 Salamanca, Spain
 tfn: ++34 923 294 437
fax: ++34 923 294 584
eml: atrio at usal.es

 
	There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, 
	having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and 
	that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed 
	law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful 
        and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.


Charles Darwin: "On the Origin of Species"