Cosmology
Cosmology (Winter 2013, Stanford Univ.). Instructor: Professor Leonard Susskind. This course of the Theoretical Minimum series will concentrate on cosmology, the science of the origin and development of the universe. Along the way, students will take a close look at the Big Bang, the geometry of space-time, inflationary cosmology, cosmic microwave background, dark matter, dark energy, the anthropic principle, and the string theory landscape. (from theoreticalminimum.com)
| Lecture 01 - The expanding (Newtonian) universe The classical or Newtonian view of the universe, The equation for the Hubble constant, The expanding universe. |
| Lecture 02 - Matter and radiation dominated universes The basic equation for an expanding universe, The equation explicitly for a zero energy universe, The derivation to universes with non-zero energy. |
| Lecture 03 - Geometries of space: flat, spherical, hyperbolic Three possible geometries of homogeneous space: flat (infinite), spherical (positively curved and finite), hyperbolic (negatively curved and infinite). The metric for each of these geometries. |
| Lecture 04 - Cosmological thermodynamics Einstein's field equations for general relativity, Energy density, Thermodynamic equation of state, Scale factor, Dark energy. |
| Lecture 05 - Vacuum energy Density parameter for an energy dominated universe, Vacuum energy, Cosmological constant, Dark energy. |
| Lecture 06 - Dark matter and allocation of energy density Energy density allocation equation, The motion of stars and galaxies, Dark matter, Observations of luminosity and red-shift. |
| Lecture 07 - Temperature history of the universe The temperature history of our universe, Black-body radiation, Decoupling, Cosmic microwave background radiation. |
| Lecture 08 - Baryogenesis Why are there more protons than anti-protons in the universe today? Theory of baryogenesis, The Sakharov conditions, Charge-parity-time (CPT) symmetry, Inflation. |
| Lecture 09 - Inflation The theory of cosmological inflation, Big Bang, Magnetic monopoles, Rapid expansion. |
| Lecture 10 - Inhomogeneities and quantum fluctuations Inhomogeneities in the universe, Quantum fluctuations, Cosmic microwave background, the formation of galaxies from regions of high energy density. |
| References |
| Cosmology (Winter, 2013) | The Theoretical Minimum This course of the Theoretical Minimum series will concentrate on cosmology, the science of the origin and development of the universe. |