Programme And Module Handbook
 
Course Details in 2025/26 Session


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Module Title LH Observational Cosmology
SchoolPhysics and Astronomy
Department Physics & Astronomy
Module Code 03 00716
Module Lead Dr Patricia Schmidt
Level Honours Level
Credits 10
Semester Semester 1
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions It is preferable, but not essential, to have gained credit in 03 17481 LC Introduction to Astronomy and 03 00554 LI Structure in the Universe as prerequisites
Contact Hours Lecture-11 hours
Seminar-11 hours
Guided independent study-78 hours
Total: 100 hours
Exclusions
Description

Observations over the past decade seem to have established that the Universe is very peculiar indeed. On the one hand, it seems that the amount of mass-energy it contains is very close to the critical amount required to make space flat. On the other hand, it appears that only 4% of this matter is the normal matter with which we are familiar. The rest is "dark matter" (around 30%) which clusters around galaxies, but whose form is unknown, or dark energy (about 70%) which is again very poorly understood, and affects the expansion of the Universe on the very largest scales, driving an
accelerating expansion which will eventually make the Universe a very large and lonely place. In this module we will examine the evidence for these strange results. The basic equations which govern the dynamics and curvature of the Universe will be derived, using a Newtonian approximation. These equations will then be applied to interpret observations, and we will discover how the observed properties of distant objects are affected by the geometry and expansion of the Universe. The evidence for the Hot Big Bang and for dark matter, will be reviewed, and we will chart the way in which the Universe has developed through various evolutionary stages, starting from a very uniform initial state, and leading to the structures we observe today.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the module the student should be able to:

  • have improved their skills of independent study;
  • Be aware of the cosmological principle, and the observational evidence supporting it;
  • explain the evidence for the Big Bang; appreciate how the observed abundances of light elements leads to constraints on baryon density, via the theory of cosmic nucleosynthesis;
  • understand how observations have now led to a reliable value for the Hubble parameter;
  • use the equations describing the dynamics of the Universe, and to use these to explore the consequences of different cosmologies;
  • be familiar with the nature and effects of a cosmological constant, the evidence which supports it, and the way it enters into the dynamical equations; understand the effects of curved spacetime, and of the expansion of the Universe, through the application of the Robertson-Walker metric;
  • understand how the inferred age of the Universe varies with the cosmological parameters, and what observational constraints can be placed on it;
  • be aware of the classical problems with the Big Bang model, and the way in which inflation can address these;
  • know how density and temperature evolve in an expanding Universe, and to understand how this affects cosmic nucleosynthesis, recombination, and the growth of structure;
  • Be familiar with the way in which small density perturbations grow, leading to collapse and virialisation of structures, and subsequent hierarchical merging;
  • Understand the role of dark matter and baryonic processes in the formation of galaxies;
  • be familiar with the observational evidence for the existence of both baryonic and non-baryonic dark matter, and the main candidates proposed;
  • be aware of the different contributions to Omega in the currently most popular cosmology, and the evidence for these;
  • be familiar with the different types of distance in use in cosmology, and be able to use these to relate observable properties to redshift in simple cases.
Assessment 00716-01 : Exam : Exam (School Arranged) - Open Book (80%)
00716-02 : Assessed problems : Coursework (20%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions Coursework (20%); 1.5 hour Examination (80%)
Other
Reading List