ASTR 596/496 PC: Spring 2010

Course Schedule

Lecture material may vary, but due dates are fixed. Visit this page for updates.

The webpages for all class meetings will be stored here; each page includes the lecture notes for that class. You are encouraged to come here to review the topics covered, the images shown, and to follow the links to further information.

-->
Date Topic Assignment Due
Wed Jan 20 Introduction
Fri Jan 22 History and Observational Overview
Mon Jan 25 Newtonian Cosmology
Wed Jan 27 Cosmodynamics
Fri Jan 29 Friedmann Universes Preflight 1
Mon Feb 1 Friedmann Universes
Wed Feb 3 Density and Destiny
Fri Feb 5 General Relativity Problem Set 1
Mon Feb 8 General Relativity
Wed Feb 10 Relativistic Cosmology
Fri Feb 12 Lifestyles in FRW Spacetimes Preflight 2
Mon Feb 15 Lifestyles in FRW Spacetimes
Wed Feb 17 Dark Energy: Evidence
Fri Feb 19 Dark Energy: Implications Problem Set 2
Mon Feb 22 Dark Energy: (Un?)physical Models
Wed Feb 24 Dark Energy: Outlook
Fri Feb 26 CMB: Discovery and Basic Properties Preflight 3
Mon Mar 1 CMB: a Cosmic Scattering Problem
Wed Mar 3 CMB: Decoupling and Recombination
Fri Mar 5 CMB: Ionization Equilibrium Problem Set 3
Mon Mar 8 CMB: Recombination History
Wed Mar 10 Primordial Nucleosynthesis: Theory
Fri Mar 12 Primordial Nucleosynthesis: Observations Preflight 4
Mon Mar 15 Primordial Nucleosynthesis: Concordance and Implications
Wed Mar 17 Particle Dark Matter: Relic Abundance
Fri Mar 19 Particle Dark Matter: WIMP Searches Problem Set 4
Mar 22-26 No Class Meeting: Spring Break
Mon Mar 29 Inflation: Motivation
Wed Mar 31 Inflation: Basic Features
Fri Apr 2 Inflation: Models Preflight 5
Mon Apr 5 Inflation: Predictions and Status
Wed Apr 7 Structure Formation: Overview
Fri Apr 9 No Class Meeting Problem Set 5
Mon Apr 12 Structure Formation: Observed Power Spectrum
Wed Apr 14 Structure Formation: Cosmic Perturbation Theory
Fri Apr 16 Structure Formation: Growth in an Expanding Universe
Mon Apr 19 Structure Formation: History Through Recombination Preflight 6
Wed Apr 21 Structure Formation: CMB Anisotropies
Fri Apr 23 Structure Formation: Origin of the Power Spectrum
Mon Apr 26 Structure Formation: Spherical Collapse
Wed Apr 28 Structure Formation: Press-Schecter Problem Set 6
Fri Apr 30 No class meeting
Mon May 3 Intergalactic Medium
Wed May 5 Cosmic Star Formation and Finale
Thu May 13 Final Problem Set Due
Brian D. Fields
Last modified: Wed May 5 13:31:48 CDT 2010