6 ECTS credits
180 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 4020238FNR for all students in the 2nd semester at a (F) Master - specialised level.

Semester
2nd semester
Enrollment based on exam contract
Impossible
Grading method
Grading (scale from 0 to 20)
Can retake in second session
Yes
Enrollment Requirements
Enrolling in 'Early Universe Cosmology' means that you simultaneously follow 'General Relativity' and 'Quantum Field Theory' or have successfully passed 'General Relativity' and 'Quantum Field Theory'.
Taught in
English
Partnership Agreement
Under agreement for exchange of courses
Faculty
Faculteit Wetenschappen en Bio-ingenieurswetensch.
Department
Physics
External partners
KU Leuven
Educational team
Thomas Hertog
Ben Craps (course titular)
Activities and contact hours
26 contact hours Lecture
60 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study
Course Content

1. The Expanding Universe

  • Kinematics and dynamics of expanding universe (cosmic evolution, Hubble law, Friedmann eqs)
  • Propagation of light and horizons (geodesics, conformal diagrams, luminosity, redshift, distance)
  • composition of the universe, status cosmological observations

2. The Early Hot Universe

  • Thermal history
  • Cosmological nucleosynthesis

3. Structure formation

  • Gravitational Instability in Newtonian theory (Jeans theory)
  • Gravitational Instability in General Relativity (cosmological perturbation theory, halo formation,…)

4. Inflation

  • Three puzzles (flatness, horizon, monopoles)
  • Slow-roll inflation
  • Inflation as origin of cosmological fluctuations

5. Anisotropies in the Microwave Sky

  • Generalities
  • Temperature fluctuations: scalar and tensor modes
  • Polarization
  • Observations

6. Quantum cosmology: which universe and why?

  • Hartle-Hawking no boundary wave function
  • Holographic cosmology

7. Stochastic gravitational wave backgrounds of cosmological origin

Additional info

Before taking this course, the student should be familiar with physics as a whole on a bachelor level and he/she should master the standard tools of calculus. In addition, the student should be familiar with the basics of general relativity and quantum field theory.

The 60 hours “self study” refer to the estimated time spent on homeworks. The 8 hours taught by Ben Craps normally take place in Brussels, the 18 hours taught by Thomas Hertog normally take place in Leuven.

Handbook: “Modern Cosmology” by S. Dodelson; lecture notes Daniel Baumann; textbook Michele Maggiore on Gravitational Waves.

Learning Outcomes

General Competencies

The student becomes acquainted with the general theory of modern, relativistic cosmology and its observational vindication. This includes the thermal and nuclear history of our expanding universe, as well as the formation of large-scale structures like galaxies from seeds generated in a primordial era of inflation. The student learns to appreciate the development of relativistic cosmology in the historical context of 20th century physics.

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Other Exam determines 100% of the final mark.

Within the Other Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

  • Other exam with a relative weight of 1 which comprises 100% of the final mark.

Additional info regarding evaluation

Oral exam with written preparation (67% of the final score). During the semester the students will be evaluated through take-home tasks, for which they can earn points that will be taken into account for 33% in the final score.

The points from the take-home tasks will be transferred to the second exam period. Only the regular examination can be repeated.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark
The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context

This offer is part of the following study plans:
Master of Physics and Astronomy: Minor Research
Master of Physics and Astronomy: Minor Economy and Business
Master of Physics and Astronomy: Minor Education