Syllabus

Scope and Spirit of the Course

Cosmology is the scientific study of the Universe as a whole: its physical contents, principal physical processes, and evolution through time. Modern physical cosmology, which began in the early 20th century, is undergoing a renaissance as a precision science as powerful ground- and space-based telescopes allow us to observe the formation of the first stars, galaxies, and galaxy clusters; the echoes of the inflationary epoch as they are impressed upon the cosmic microwave background; and evidence for and clues to the nature of the mysterious dark energy, which is driving the accelerating expansion of the universe. This course will introduce students to the key observations and the theoretical framework through which we understand the Universe that we are living in.

Upon successful completion of this course, the students will have a firm grasp of

• The expansion of the Universe and its astrophysical consequences,
• The dynamics of the expansion as a function of various constituents,
• The thermal evolution of the expanding Universe and out-of-equilibrium processes,
• The idea and realization of cosmic inflation,
• The generation and evolution of the seed density perturbations which evolved into the large-scale structure of the Universe.

Textbook

The pre-lecture reading assignment will be a vital part of the class, as in-class activities will be mostly tutorials and problem solving. The reading assignments will be from the required textbook:

• A course in cosmology: From Theory to Practice (D. Huterer) [Amazon link]

There are also many excellent books on cosmology. These are some books worth owning, although which of these you choose to buy may depend on your particular interests.

Along with the textbook, these three books are published after 2020, and the most up-to-date:

• Modern Cosmology (S. Dodelson and F. Schmidt)
  This book explains the linear perturbation theory in a detailed yet comprehensive manner. The last section on statistics is also very good.
• Cosmology (D. Baumann)
  Someone told me that this book is a modernized version of Kolb and Turner’s “The Early Universe.” If you prefer a more theoretically clear explanation, this book might suit your taste.
• Particle Cosmology and Astrophysics (D. Hooper)
  This book may suite better for students with particle physics backgrounds.

In addition, these are relatively recent books in 2010s:

• Cosmology (S. Weinberg)
  This is a great book! Insightful, accurate, and clear explanation. A caveat: be aware that the notation in this book might be different from others. You can find an analytical approximation for the CMB power spectrum.
• Physical Foundations of Cosmology (S. Mukhanov)
  I love chapters on big-bang nucleosynthesis, inflationary perturbation, and CMB power spectrum! Things are done as analytical as possible here.
• The Primordial Density Perturbations (D. Lyth and A. Liddle)
  This book focuses on the generation of density perturbation and its evolution to the observables. It includes relatively recent issues such as primordial non-Gaussianity.
• Galaxy Formation and Evolution (Moujun Mo, Frank van den Bosch, Simon White)
  A comprehensive collection of essentially everything in the modern cosmology from inflation to galaxy formation. Chapters discussing the galaxy formation are particularly useful.

Finally, these are some of the classic textbooks:

• Principles of Physical Cosmology (P.J.E. Peebles)
  This is a classic text on the subject. Classical cosmological tests are particularly well explored. Latter sections are organized by subject so that one can move from one to another.
• Cosmological Physics (J. Peacock)
  A nice reference for the broader subjects including AGN, galaxy formation, etc.
• The Early Universe (E.W. Kolb and M.S. Turner)
  Yet another classic text on the early Universe theories including the thermal history.

Expected Background

Basic undergraduate physics and curiosity are expected. Those who know general relativity may have some advantage in the class, but general relativity is not required for the class. We will develop the necessary knowledge of general relativity in the class.

This website and the Canvas page

On this website, you will find the vital logistical information for the course (Home), the syllabus (this page), a list of topics to be covered in the course (Topics and learning objectives), information about assignments (Assignments), and official university policies and procedures (Policies). The calendar will be updated regularly to indicate the due dates of assignments and other relevant events.

Canvas site for this course will be used to communicate and distribute documents and other materials. Notes, slides, problem-set solutions, etc., will be posted on Canvas.

Assessed Work and Basis for Grades

The assessed work for this course will be based on the homework problem set (including projects — where you’re encouraged to collaborate with other students), group presentation, and class participation. There is no final exam. Attendance and participation are essential, and they also contribute to the final grade. The scores from the above are combined to form the final grade using the following weights:

All problem sets combined	50%
Group presentation	30%
Attendance and participation	20%

The letter grade will be given roughly as follows:
A (>90), A- (85 – 90), B+ (80 – 85), B (75 -80), B- (70 – 75), C+ (65 – 70), C (55 – 65), D (50 – 55), F (<50)

Homework Problem Sets and Group Projects

Homework Problem sets will be assigned every week or every other week, and their due date and time will be announced at that time. It is permissible to consult with other students and brainstorm in order to find the path to the solution of homework problems. But, in the last step of the process, which includes figuring out the details and writing out the solutions for submission, students must work individually and turn in their own individual solutions.

Group projects consist of problem sets that are more involved or numerically extensive. For this assignment, team members should contribute equally to the effort.

There will be two due dates for each problem set, respectively, one week and two weeks after the assignment is issued. Your work will be graded between the two due dates, but no official solutions will be released until the final due date. The final score of the assignment will be determined by your work submitted by the final due date. The official solutions will be distributed through Canvas right after the final deadline. This policy implies that there can be no extensions to the homework deadline (nor can homework be made up).

Upload your answers on Canvas

The answers for each problem set should be submitted as a single, self-contained PDF file; they can be written by hand and then scanned or photographed (e.g., using Microsoft Lens or Adobe Scan), or they can be written on a tablet and exported to PDF, or they can be typed (or they can be produced by some other method that creates a PDF file). A PDF resolution of 200–300 dpi (dots per inch) is preferred because it results in readable text and files that are not too big to be unwieldy. At any rate, it is the responsibility of the students to make sure that the files they upload are readable and can be manipulated by Canvas without problems.

Group Presentation

Students will work in small teams of two or three to write a report on the chosen topic related to dark matter and dark energy, and to give presentations. All team members should/will receive the same grade for the group presentation, so all team members must contribute approximately equally to the in-class presentation. The presentations are scheduled for the final two weeks, hence cannot be delayed. The associated report is to be distributed to the class a day before the presentation, so that the other students can be prepared for the discussion. Students are encouraged to come to the office hour to discuss the report/presentation topics with the instructor.

Attendance and Participation

Attendance is essential because the in-class activities will be the baseline of the class. Therefore, it is required. Students who miss class will have to explain their absence. Absences will be excused in case of illness or other medical emergencies, family emergencies, and official university business. On some occasions there will be assigned reading in preparation for class discussion. Students are expected to do the reading and come prepared for the discussion.

Detailed instructions and advice on how to approach problem sets and present their solutions, and other information about assignments are given on the Assignments page of this web site. The assignments are an extension of instruction; they will contain examples that are useful for understanding the material and they also cover some topics that follow naturally from the lectures but are not covered explicitly or in great detail in the lectures themselves.

The formal policies about academic integrity are included in the Policies section of this website. In the case of this course the the important considerations are:

• In your assignments you should always present work that is your own (or your team’s). Follow the instructions given in this syllabus and the detailed instructions associate with the assignments.
• Cite the sources from which you draw information for your assignments.
• If you use Generative A.I. or other software to formulate your answers (especially in the papers), acknowledge that and cite the software that you use. Note the position adopted by the American Astronomical Society on the use of Generative AI. In the end, you are responsible for the content of what you submit; any software tools that you use cannot explain their reasdoning and cannot be held accountable for what they do.

The Cardinal Rule

All students are responsible for knowing and following all the rules and regulations for this course as set forth in the syllabus (including any additional details on the class web site). Not knowing the rules is not an excuse for not following them. In case of any ambiguity, the instructor is the final arbiter. Students are also responsible for knowing what is announced in class.