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Fernando Atrio Barandela
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Diapositiva 1

Master POPIA

Subject: Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation and Large Scale Structure of the Universe.

PhD Program of the Department of Theoretical Physics, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid and Astronomy Department, Universidad Complutense de Madrid.

Year:
2006-2007
Teacher:
F. Atrio-Barandela.
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

  • Cosmology. P. Coles, F. Lucchin. John Wiley (2002); 2nd Edition.
  • Modern Cosmology. S. Dodelson. Academic Press (2003).
  • Cosmological Inflation and Large-Scale Structure. A.R. Liddle and D.H. Lyth.  Cambridge U.P. (2000).
  • The Early Universe. E. Kolb and T. Turner Addison-Wesley (1990).
  • Physical Foundations of Cosmology. V. Mukhanov. Cambridge U.P. (2005).
  • Structure Formation in the Universe. T. Padmanabhan. Cambridge U.P. (1993)
  • Cosmological Physics. J.A. Peacock. Cambridge U.P. (1998).
  • Large Scale Structure of the Universe. P.J.E. Peebles. Princeton U.P. (1980).

 


Grades

For the student to pass, it will be required to solve the problemsposed 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.

 

	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"
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