Undergraduate Course: Astrophysical Cosmology (PHYS10024)

Course Outline
School	School of Physics and Astronomy	College	College of Science and Engineering
Course type	Standard	Availability	Available to all students
Credit level (Normal year taken)	SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate)	Credits	10
Home subject area	Undergraduate (School of Physics and Astronomy)	Other subject area	None
Course website	None	Taught in Gaelic?	No
Course description	This course introduces the fundamental concepts of modern astrophysical cosmology. The meaning of time and space in an expanding universe are discussed, and the dynamics of the expansion are solved, yielding the tools needed to relate astronomical observations to the physical properties of objects seen at great distances. The time history of the expansion is studied, starting from the prediction of a hot big bang, and discussing the relics that remain from early times, especially light elements, dark matter and the microwave background. The initial conditions for the expansion are seen to require careful tuning, and the best modern explanation for this lies in the theory of inflation, which removes the idea of a big bang. Inflation can explain not only the existence of a uniform expanding universe, but can seed fluctuations via amplified quantum fluctuations, so that structures such as galaxies can form at late times. The basic elements of this theory are explained, and the course closes with a survey of open observational challenges.

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites	Students MUST have passed: ( Modern Physics (PHYS08045) OR Classical and Modern Physics (PHYS08044)) AND Electromagnetism (PHYS09018) AND ( Statistical Mechanics (PHYS09019) OR Thermal Physics (PHYS09061)) It is RECOMMENDED that students have passed Thermodynamics (PHYS09021)	Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations		Other requirements	At least 80 credit points accrued in courses of SCQF Level 9 or 10 drawn from Schedule Q.
Additional Costs	None

Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisites	None
Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus?	Yes

Course Delivery Information

Delivery period: 2014/15 Semester 1, Available to all students (SV1)			Learn enabled: Yes	Quota: None
Web Timetable	Web Timetable
Course Start Date	15/09/2014
Breakdown of Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info)	Total Hours: 100 ( Lecture Hours 22, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 11, Summative Assessment Hours 2, Revision Session Hours 4, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 59 )
Additional Notes
Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info)	Written Exam 100 %, Coursework 0 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Exam Information
Exam Diet	Paper Name	Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May)	Astrophysical Cosmology	2:00

Delivery period: 2014/15 Semester 1, Part-year visiting students only (VV1)			Learn enabled: No	Quota: None
Web Timetable	Web Timetable
Course Start Date	15/09/2014
Breakdown of Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info)	Total Hours: 100 ( Lecture Hours 22, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 11, Summative Assessment Hours 2, Revision Session Hours 4, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 59 )
Additional Notes
Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info)	Written Exam 100 %, Coursework 0 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Exam Information
Exam Diet	Paper Name	Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S1 (December)	Astrophysical Cosmology	2:00

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, it is intended that a student will be able to: 1)State the definition of a 'fundamental observer', 'cosmological time' and the 'cosmological principle', and exploit them to derive the Robertson-Walker metric for the universe 2)Derive the equation of motion for a photon and hence define the cosmological redshift 3)Derive and explain the meaning of the Friedmann equation for the evolution of the universe, and find and explain its solutions 4)Define apparent ages, sizes and flux in the universe and relate them to the cosmological redshift 5)Discuss the cosmological distance ladder and the age of the universe 6)Describe the thermal history of the universe and explain the origin of relic particles, the microwave background radiation and primordial elements 7)Discuss the evidence for Dark Matter, and explain how observations can distinguish between the competing theories for what it is 8)Explain how large-scale structure evolves in the universe, and understand the statistical quanities used to describe this structure 9)Explain the problems with the Big Bang model of the universe, and describe how these are solved by the Inflationary scenario 10)Explain how Inflation solves the problem of the origin of structure in the universe 11)State the observational evidence leading to the concordance model of cosmology

Assessment Information
Degree Examination, 100% Visiting Student Variant Assessment Degree Examination, 100%

Special Arrangements
None

Additional Information
Academic description	Not entered
Syllabus	* History and basic concepts * The Robertson-Walker metric * Light propagation and redshift * Dynamics * Observational cosmology * The distance ladder * Cosmological geometry and Dark Energy * Thermal history of the Universe * Dark Matter * Formation of Structure * Inflation * The microwave background
Transferable skills	Not entered
Reading list	Not entered
Study Abroad	Not entered
Study Pattern	Not entered
Keywords	AstCo