Admission Requirements
Prerequisites: General Relativity, Origins and Evolution of the Universe, Large Scale Structure,
Description
A course on Theoretical Cosmology with focus on Relativistic Perturbation Theory. The course assumes prior knowledge of General Relativity and of the basics of the standard model of Cosmology, expansion and thermal history, and Newtonian Structure formation.
Program:
Inflation/ Initial Conditions
Linear Relativistic Perurbation theory
Gauge Freedom
Power Spectra and Transfer functions
Course objectives
After successful completion of the course you will be able to:
Solve for the dynamics of simple single-field models of inflation
Understand linear cosmological perturbation theory and its link to observables; calculate and solve the corresponding relevant equations
Transform between gauges
Calculate main transfer functions and the growth rate of structure
Timetable
See Timetable in Brightspace
You will find the timetables for all courses and degree programmes of Leiden University in the tool MyTimetable (login). Any teaching activities that you have sucessfully registered for in MyStudyMap will automatically be displayed in MyTimeTable. Any timetables that you add manually, will be saved and automatically displayed the next time you sign in.
MyTimetable allows you to integrate your timetable with your calendar apps such as Outlook, Google Calendar, Apple Calendar and other calendar apps on your smartphone. Any timetable changes will be automatically synced with your calendar. If you wish, you can also receive an email notification of the change. You can turn notifications on in ‘Settings’ (after login).
For more information, watch the video or go the the 'help-page' in MyTimetable. Please note: Joint Degree students Leiden/Delft have to merge their two different timetables into one. This video explains how to do this.
Mode of instruction
See Brightspace
Course load
68 hours: 22 hours spent on attending lectures and work sessions and 46 hours of time spent for studying the compulsory literature and reference books, for completing problem sets and preparing for the final exam.
Assessment method
The final grade will be entirely based on the final exam.
Reading list
Main reference book: Cosmology, D.Baumann, ISBN : 9781108838078;
Additional reference book: Modern Cosmology (second edition), S. Dodelson and Fabian Schmidt;
Additional reading material will be provided through Brightspace.
While consulting these books is highly recommended, and is likely to help you understand and apply the material offered in the course, they also contain much additional material that goes beyond the course and will not be examined.
Registration
As a student, you are responsible for registering for each course component. This can be done via Mystudymap. You do this twice a year: once for the courses you want to take in semester 1 and once for the courses you want to take in semester 2.
Registration for courses in the first semester is possible from July onwards; registration for courses in the second semester is possible from December onwards. For more information, see this page
Please note that it is mandatory for all students to register for their exams. This can be done up to and including 10 calendar days prior to the exam or up to five calendar days in case of a retake exam (retake registration opens 30 days before the retake takes place). You cannot participate in the exam or retake without a valid registration in My Studymap
Contact
Instructors:Dr. A.Silvestri (Alessandra)
Teaching Assistant: TBD
Remarks
Transferable skills
Analytical skills
Communication
Vision
Perseverance