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
In MyTimetable, you can find all course and programme schedules, allowing you to create your personal timetable. Activities for which you have enrolled via MyStudyMap will automatically appear in your timetable.
Additionally, you can easily link MyTimetable to a calendar app on your phone, and schedule changes will be automatically updated in your calendar. You can also choose to receive email notifications about schedule changes. You can enable notifications in Settings after logging in.
Questions? Watch the video, read the instructions, or contact the ISSC helpdesk.
Note: Joint Degree students from Leiden/Delft need to combine information from both the Leiden and Delft MyTimetables to see a complete schedule. This video explains how to do it.
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 enrolling on time through MyStudyMap.
In this short video, you can see step-by-step how to enrol for courses in MyStudyMap.
Extensive information about the operation of MyStudyMap can be found here.
There are two enrolment periods per year:
Enrolment for the fall opens in July
Enrolment for the spring opens in December
See this page for more information about deadlines and enrolling for courses and exams.
Note:
It is mandatory to enrol for all activities of a course that you are going to follow.
Your enrolment is only complete when you submit your course planning in the ‘Ready for enrolment’ tab by clicking ‘Send’.
Not being enrolled for an exam/resit means that you are not allowed to participate in the exam/resit.
Contact
Instructors:Dr. A.Silvestri (Alessandra)
Teaching Assistant: TBD
Remarks
Transferable skills
Analytical skills
Communication
Vision
Perseverance
Software
Starting from the 2024/2025 academic year, the Faculty of Science will use the software distribution platform Academic Software. Through this platform, you can access the software needed for specific courses in your studies. For some software, your laptop must meet certain system requirements, which will be specified with the software. It is important to install the software before the start of the course. More information about the laptop requirements can be found on the student website.