An Introduction to Particle Cosmology
A course by Bohdan Grządkowski
Institute of Theoretical Physics, University of Warsaw
office: 4.48
phone: +48 22 5532848
e-mail: Bohdan.Grzadkowski@fuw.edu.pl
Winter semester 2024/25
lectures: Wednesdays, 12:15 pm, room 1.37
class: Wednesdays, 14:15 pm, room 1.37
Why Cosmology?
Links between particle physics and cosmology
The outline of the course:
- The Observed Universe
- Sketchy Cosmology
- A Brief "Course" of the General Relativity and the Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) Metric
- Cosmological Models
- Cosmological Distances
- Thermodynamics of the Early Universe
- Thermal Relics from the Big Bang
- Inflation
- The Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation
- Baryogenesis
The course grading:
- Participation in lectures and classes: up to 3 unexcused absences are allowed for lecture and class separately (in justified cases the lecturer may allow for more than 3 absences).
- Middle term test: students are allowed to bring one A4 format
sheet of paper containing formulae, solutions of the problems listed as "exemplary problems" nor those which were posted as a homeworks are not allowed.
- Final written exam: 3 selected problems either solved in the class during the course or contained in homework problems, for the non-exhaustive list of
exemplary problems see: to be posted , students are allowed to bring one A4 format
sheet of paper containing formulae, solutions of the problems listed as "exemplary problems" nor those which were posted as a homeworks are not allowed.
- Final oral exam: material limited exclusively to the lecture notes posted below, for the list of
problems see , "formulae sheet" is not allowed during the oral exam.
Middle term test: December 2nd 2024, time: 10:00 - 13:00, room: 2.06
First term exam:
written: January 30th 2025, time: 10:00 - 13:00, room 1.02,
oral: February 5th 2025, office 4.48, time: 10:30 - 17:00, schedule
exam schedule
Recommended texbooks
- L. Bergström and A. Goobar, "Cosmology and Particle Astrophysics"
- A. Liddle, "Wprowadzenie do kosmologii wspolczesnej"
- E. Kolb and M. Turner, "The Early Universe"
- D.S. Gorbunov and V.A. Rubakov, "Introduction to the theory of the early universe: Hot big bang theory"
- S. Weinberg, "Gravitation and Cosmology"
Additional texbooks, articles and web pages:
- J. A. Romeu "Derivation of Friedman equations",
- E. R. Harrison, "Cosmology: The Science of the Universe"
- T. Padmanabhan, "Cosmology and Astrophysics Through Problems"
- L. Husdal, "On Effective Degrees of Freedom in the Early Universe",
Galaxies 4, no. 4, 78 (2016), doi:10.3390/galaxies4040078, arXiv:1609.04979;
- T. M. Davis and Ch. H. Lineweaver, "Superluminal Recession Velocities",
AIP Conf. Proc. 555, 348 (2001);
- Ch. H. Lineweaver and T. M. Davis,
"Misconceptions about the Big Bang", Scientific American, March 2005;
- T. M. Davis and Ch. H. Lineweaver,
"Expanding Confusion: common misconceptions of cosmological horizons and the
superluminal expansion of the universe", 2004, Publications of the Astronomical Society
of Australia, 21, 97-109;
- G.F.R. Ellis and T. Rothman, "Lost horizons",
Am. J. Phys. 61, pp. 883-893 (1993), DOI:10.1119/1.17400;
- Michael Rauch, "Comments on ‘‘Lost Horizons’’ by G. F. R. Ellis
and T. Rothman ", [Am. J. Phys. 61 (10), 883–893 (1993)], Am. J. Phys. 63, 87 (1995); doi: 10.1119/1.17777;
- G.F.R. Ellis and T. Rothman,
"Past light cone shape and refocusing in cosmology, A Response
to Michael Rauch's "Comments on "Lost Horizons""", [Am. J. Phys. 63, 87 (1995)], Am. J. Phys. 63, 88 (1995);
- M. A. Abramowicz, S. Bajtlik, Jean-Pierre Lasota, A. Moudenshttp,
"Eppur si espande", 2007,
Acta Astr., 57, 139,
"A short answer to critics of
our article "Eppur si espande" [arXiv:astro-ph/0612155]", 2008,
M. Abramowicz and S. Bajtlik, "A jednak się rozszerza!", Świat Nauki, 2 (181), 2007;
- Yu. V. Baryshev, "Expanding Space:
The Root of Conceptual Problems of the Cosmological Physics", 2008;
- J. P. Kneller1 and G. Steigman,
"BBN For Pedestrians", New Journal of Physics, 6 (2004) 117;
- S. Perlmutter,
"Supernovae, Dark Energy, and the Accelerating Universe", Physics Today, April 2003;
- G. Cook and R. H. Dickerson,
"Understanding the chemical potential", American Journal of Physics, Vol. 63, Issue 8, 737;
- R. Baierlein,
"The elusive chemical potential", American Journal of Physics, Vol. 69, Issue 4, 423;
- D. Lyth,
" Particle physics models of inflation", Lect.Notes Phys.738:81-118, 2008.
- A. Linde,
" Inflationary Cosmology ", Lect.Notes Phys.738:1-54, 2008;
- Ned Wright's Cosmology Tutorial;
- Supernova Cosmology Project;
- Hubblesite;
Lecture notes :
- The Observed Universe
- Sketchy Cosmology
- A Brief "Course" of the General Relativity
- Cosmological Models
- Cosmological Distances
Class problems:
- Class problems #1
- Class problems #2
- Class problems #3
- Class problems #4
Homework problems:
- Homework problems #1
- Homework problems #2
- Homework problems #3