ASTR 507

Credit: 4 hours.

A survey of the essentials of modern cosmology, providing an overview of the state of the field, of open questions, and of observational and theoretical tools. Topics include: classical cosmology--the Friedmann universe; the early universe--inflation, nucleosynthesis, dark matter; the cosmic microwave background--basic physics, anisotropies, polarization; large scale structure formation--theoretical models and observational tests; dark energy--observational evidence, theoretical ideas. Emphasizes applying physical principles to understand observations, and on using observations to constrain the nature of matter and spacetime on cosmic scales--viewing the universe as a laboratory for fundamental physics. Course work focuses heavily on problem solving.

Prerequisite: ASTR 406 or consent of instructor.