ASTR422-18S2 (C) Semester Two 2018

Theoretical and Observational Cosmology

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 16 July 2018
End Date: Sunday, 18 November 2018
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Friday, 27 July 2018
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Friday, 12 October 2018

Description

Theoretical and Observational Cosmology

This course is an account of modern cosmology. We will start off discussing the large scale homogenous and isotropic nature of the Universe and how the Universe is expanding with time. We will then have a brief review of the aspects of General Relativity that we will need in the course.

After that we will discuss the constituents of the Universe and how the expansion of the Universe has changed over time. We will also discuss the apparent accelerating expansion of the Universe and the proposed dark energy explanation for it. We will also review the evidence for dark matter and what properties it appears to have.

We will use the Boltzmann equation to understand big bang nuclear synthesis and the cosmic microwave background. These are two of the main observational pillars of the big bang model of the Universe. We will also use the Boltzmann equation to in study a thermal relic model of dark matter.

We will then go on to study the inhomogeneity of large scale structure such as galaxies, galaxy clusters and the cosmic web. We will also look at anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background. We will see how observations of both of these phenomena can allow us to tightly constrain many properties of the Universe.

Pre-requisites - additional info:  Prior astronomy courses would be useful but are not essential as we will cover any needed subjects during the course.

Prerequisites

Subject to approval of the Head of Department.

Restrictions

PHYS422, ASTR322

Equivalent Courses

PHYS422

Course Coordinator / Lecturer

Chris Gordon

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage  Description
Final Exam 80% Take home exam
Problem sets 20% Problem sets


80% Final take home exam
20% Problem sets

Textbooks / Resources

Required Texts

S. Dodelson; Modern Cosmology ; Academic Press, 2003.

Recommended Reading

Lyth, D. H. , Liddle, Andrew R; The primordial density perturbation : cosmology, inflation and the origin of structure ; Cambridge University Press, 2009.

Peter, Patrick. , Uzan, Jean-Philippe; Primordial cosmology ; English ed; Oxford University Press, 2009.

Schutz, Bernard F; A first course in general relativity ; 2nd ed; Cambridge University Press, 2009.

Notes

Pre-requisites - additional info: Subject to approval of the Head of Department. Prior astronomy courses would be useful but are not essential as we will cover any needed subjects during the course.

Additional Course Outline Information

Academic integrity

Please consult the document General Information for Physics and Astronomy Students on the Physics and Astronomy Web Page.
http://www.phys.canterbury.ac.nz/courses/General.pdf

Please note in particular....
Dishonest Practice
Plagiarism, collusion, copying and ghost writing are unacceptable and dishonest practices.
• Plagiarism is the presentation of any material (text, data, figures or drawings, on any medium including computer files) from any other source without clear and adequate acknowledgement of the source.
• Collusion is the presentation of work performed in conjunction with another person or persons, but submitted as if it has been completed only by the named author(s).
• Copying is the use of material (in any medium, including computer files) produced by another person(s) with or without their knowledge and approval.
• Ghost writing is the use of another person(s) (with or without payment) to prepare all or part of an item submitted for assessment.
Do not engage in dishonest practices. The Department reserves the right to refer dishonest practices to the University Proctor and where appropriate to not mark the work.

Assessment and grading system

Marks and Grades

The Physics and Astronomy Department uses the following scale to convert marks into grades:

100 – 85 A+ 60 – 64 B-
80 – 84 A 55 – 59 C+
75 – 79 A- 50 – 54 C
70 – 74 B+ 45 – 49 C-
65 – 69 B Below 45 D/E

There is no C- grade available for courses above 200-level and marks in the range 35 – 49 are converted to D.
The Physics and Astronomy Department reserves the right to adjust this mark/grade conversion up or down to achieve consistency of assessment standards.
Note that in some courses you are required to achieve a certain standard in the course work and/or the final exam in order to obtain a passing grade. See the individual handout for your courses for further information.

Reconsideration of Assessment
Students should, in the first instance, speak to the course co-ordinator about their assessment. If they cannot reach an agreeable solution, students should then speak to the Head of the Physics and Astronomy Department (Professor Roger Reeves, Room 708, Phone no: 364-2572, e-mail: roger.reeves@canterbury.ac.nz).

Appeals
Students may appeal any decision made, see the UC Calendar for the appeals process. Note that there are time limits for each step of the appeals process.

Grade moderation

Reconsideration of Assessment
Students should, in the first instance, speak to the course co-ordinator about their assessment. If they cannot reach an agreeable solution, students should then speak to the Head of the Physics and Astronomy Department (Professor Roger Reeves, Room 708, Phone no: 364-2572, e-mail: roger.reeves@canterbury.ac.nz).
Students can appeal any decision made on their final grade. You can apply at the Registry to appeal within 4 weeks of the end of the semester. Be aware that there are time limits for each step of the appeals process.

Appeals
Students may appeal any decision made, see the UC Calendar for the appeals process. Note that there are time limits for each step of the appeals process.

Late submission of work

Late Work
Students should check with the course Co-ordinator whether or not late work is accepted and what penalties may apply. Requests for submitting work late should be accompanied with a detailed explanation of why the work is late. This must be done well in advance of the due date for the work.

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $1,013.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see School of Physical & Chemical Sciences .

All ASTR422 Occurrences

  • ASTR422-18S2 (C) Semester Two 2018