Astroparticle physics, Master course, 5p, Lp IV 2005
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Course codes: CTH: FKA 175 and GU: AS 3700
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START: Tuesday April 5, 2005, at 10.00 in Origo 6115 (north wing, 6th floor)
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Lecturer:Professor Bengt E.W. Nilsson, Origo 6104C, phone 772 3160
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Schedule: Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10.00-12.00 in Origo 6115.
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Literature: "Cosmology and particle astrophysics",
by Lars Bergström and Ariel Goobar (BG)
(Springer 2004 or Wiley 1999) plus
lecture notes and review articles from the net.
Additional (more advanced) literature:
Andrei Linde(AL): "Particle physics and inflationary cosmology"
Kolb and Turner(KT): "The early universe"
Collins, Martin and Squires(CMS): "Particle physics and cosmology"
M.S. Longair(MSL): "Galaxy formation"
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The 2005 course: Details will appear as the course progresses.
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Examination
Limits for different marks: Each home exam problem gives a maximum of 3 points.
GU:
V requires 40% of the total points
VG requires 70% of the total points plus a successful oral exam
CTH:
3 requires 40% of the total points
4 requires 60% of the total points
5 requires 80% of the total points plus a successful oral exam
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1st WEEK (calender week 14): Introduction to cosmology, and review of special and
general relativity,
and lagrangians and hamiltonians.
Lecture 1: Introduction to cosmology
Read BG chapter 1, and the lecture notes.
Lecture 2: The dynamical equations of the universe: a Newtonian view (see lecture notes).
Aspects of special relativity.
Read BG chapter 2.
Important points this week: The structure of the universe at different scales, the cosmological principle,
comoving coordinates, Hubble 'constant', the Newtonian view on the dynamical universe and its future.
Home problems: BG problems 1.1-1.4, 2.2, 2.5, 2.10 and 2.12
NOTE: Home problems are to be handed in no later than April 19.
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2nd WEEK (calender week 15): General relativity and Lagrangian formulation of field theories.
NOTE: Lecture 3 on Tuesday April 12 rescheduled to 8.30-10.00
Lecture 3: Some general relativity
Read BG chapter 3, Appendix A and lecture notes.
Lecture 4: Summary of Lagrangian formulation of particle and field theories.
Quantum fields. The Einstein-Hilbert action and its limitations.
Read BG appendix B and chapter 6, sections 1 to 9, plus lecture notes.
Important points this week: Metric and physical distance.
The meaning of 'k' in the Friedmann equation,
The Robertson-Walker metric, and the stress tensor (or energy-momentum tensor) for a perfect fluid.
Equations of motion and Lagrangians for quantum fields of various spins.
Home problems: BD problems 3.1 and 3.2
NOTE: Home problems are to be handed in no later than April 26.
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3rd WEEK (calender week 16): Cosmological models
Lecture 5: Cosmological models: The dynamical universe in general relativity
Read lecture notes on the vierbein formulation of gravity, and the Lagrangian.
Lecture 6: cont. from last lecture.
Read BG chapter 4, and lecture notes.
Read BG sections 4.4-4.7 and in Sahni's review article
"Dark matter and dark energy"
sections 2.1, 2.2 and chap 3. Section 2.3 on "Quintessence" will be discussed later in the course.
Read also chapter 5 in BG briefly (it will not be covered in the lectures) and note the relevance in the search for dark matter.
Read also briefly Chapter 1 in "Dark matter and dark energy" (link above)
to get a better feeling for the dark matter problem.
If you are interested: For additional reading on the Cosmological constant problem see the review by Peebles
"The cosmological constant and dark energy"
and the research paper
"Testing the cosmological constant as a candidate for dark energy".
You may also check out the very recent article by Tom Banks in Physics Today
May 2004, p. 46.
Important points this week:
Without a detailed understanding:
Actions and lagrangians in various field theories, possible terms in the action for gravity,
the fundamental problem associated with the cosmological constant.
With detailed understanding:
The results following from adding the cosmological constant to the Friedmann equation,
the interpretation of the various Omega's and their observational role. Luminosity distance.
Home problems: BG problems 4.1 and 4.4
NOTE: Home problems are to be handed in no later than May 3.
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4th WEEK (calender week 17): The cosmological parameters and the cosmological constant.
Lecture 7: Continuation from last lecture: the accelerating universe
Read BG chapter 4, sections 4.4 to 4.8
Lecture 8: Scattering cross sections and thermodynamics
Read BG chapter 6, sections 10, including Figs 6.6-6.9, 12 and 13 plus lecture notes
(section 6.11 is optional but contains useful information about the relevant cross sections).
Read also Chapter 8, all sections.
Important points this week: Derivation of the luminosity distance formula. Cross sections
in EM, weak and strong interactions and their energy dependence. Freeze-out condition and
decoupling of neutrinos. tTansition between radiation and matter domination.
Home problems: BG problems 4.14, 6.3 and 8.3
NOTE: Home problems are to be handed in no later than May 10.
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Note: the Tuesday lectures in May will be between 09.00 and 12.00
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5th WEEK (calender week 18): Decoupling, recombination and the matter-radiation era transition
Lecture 9-10: NOTE THE TIME: 09.00-10.00
Read BG chapters 8 and 9.
Important points this week: Time-temperature relation, freeze-out condition, constant entropy
and photon reheating (see the neutrino background temperature discussion),
matter-radiation era transition, the Sakharov conditions, the freeze-out equation
and the neutrino mass condition from cosmology, the baryon to photon ratio, photon
recombination and decoupling.
Home problems: BG problem 9.2
NOTE: Home problems are to be handed in no later than May 17.
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6th WEEK (calender week 19): Neutrino oscillations and the cosmic background radiation
Lecture 11: NOTE THE TIME: 09.00-12.00 Neutrinos and their oscillations
Read lecture notes on Dirac equation and mass matrices plus BG chapter 14,
in particular section 14.6.
Have a look also at the article by Pierre Ramond
"Neutrinos: key to new physics" in particular sections 8 and 9.
There is also the review by the Swedish astrophysicist Max Tegmark at MIT
"Cosmological neutrino bounds for non-cosmologists"
And here
"here"
you will find more on the history of neutrinos.
Lecture 12: CMB
Read BG chapter 11
Important points this week: Section 14.6, and Ramonds paper section 8.
The Sachs-Wolfe effect and the Jeans instability, table 11.1 and fig. 11.4
Home problems: 14.6, 14.8, and 11.2
NOTE: Home problems are to be handed in no later than May 24.
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7th WEEK (calender week 20): Inflation, and fluctuations
Lecture 13: NOTE THE TIME: 09.00-12.00 Inflation and quintessence
Read BG chapter 10
Lecture 14: Inflation, phase transitions and a summary
Read BG chapter 7, and have a look at the very pedagogical paper
"Fundamental cosmic strings"
which discusses both phase transitions, strings and recent observations.
And more information on recent observations you will by reading the review
"The current status of observational cosmology "
Important points this week: The problems of the hot Big Bang model
and how inflation eliminates them. The problems with the theory of inflation.
Home problems: BG problem 10.3
NOTE: Home problems are to be handed in no later than May 24
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8th WEEK (calender week 21): Examination week
Examination period has been extended to include calender week 22,
i.e. the oral exam can be done until June 3.
Schedule time with me as soon as possible!!
Examination
Limits for different marks: Each home exam problem gives a maximum of 3 points.
GU:
V requires 40% of the total points
VG requires 70% of the total points plus a successful oral exam
CTH:
3 requires 40% of the total points
4 requires 60% of the total points
5 requires 80% of the total points plus a successful oral exam
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