Admission Requirements
General Relativity, Origins and Evolution of the Universe, Large Scale Structure.
Description
A course on Theoretical Cosmology with focus on Relativistic Perturbation Theory. The course assumes prior knowledge of General Relativity and of the basics of the standard model of Cosmology, expansion and thermal history, and Newtonian Structure formation.
Topics
Part 1:
Inflation/Initial Conditions
Linear Relativistic Perturbation theory
Gauge Freedom
Power Spectra and Transfer functions
Part 2:
Quantum fluctuations as seeds of Cosmological Perturbations
Cosmic Microwave Background
Dark Energy
Course objectives
After successful completion of the course you will have formed an understanding of the physics of the early Universe, how fluctuations are seeded and stretched into classical perturbations, what is their physical meaning and how they evolve to form the structure that we observe today. In particular, you will be able to:
Solve for the dynamics of simple single-field models of inflation;
Understand linear cosmological perturbation theory and its link to observables; calculate and solve the corresponding relevant equations;
Transform between gauges;
Calculate main transfer functions and the growth rate of structure.
Timetable
See Timetable in Brightspace
In MyTimetable, you can find all course and programme schedules, allowing you to create your personal timetable. Activities for which you have enrolled via MyStudyMap will automatically appear in your timetable.
Additionally, you can easily link MyTimetable to a calendar app on your phone, and schedule changes will be automatically updated in your calendar. You can also choose to receive email notifications about schedule changes. You can enable notifications in Settings after logging in.
Questions? Watch the video, read the instructions, or contact the ISSC helpdesk.
Note: Joint Degree students from Leiden/Delft need to combine information from both the Leiden and Delft MyTimetables to see a complete schedule. This video explains how to do it.
Mode of instruction
See Brightspace
Assessment method
The final grade will be determined as follows:
Part 1: written examination with problems to solve (50%)
Part 2: final take home project (50%)
Reading list
Main reference book: Cosmology, D.Baumann, ISBN : 9781108838078;
Additional reference book: Modern Cosmology (second edition), S. Dodelson and Fabian Schmidt;
Additional reading material will be provided through Brightspace.
Registration
As a student, you are responsible for enrolling on time through MyStudyMap.
In this short video, you can see step-by-step how to enrol for courses in MyStudyMap.
Extensive information about the operation of MyStudyMap can be found here.
There are two enrolment periods per year:
Enrolment for the fall opens in July
Enrolment for the spring opens in December
See this page for more information about deadlines and enrolling for courses and exams.
Note:
It is mandatory to enrol for all activities of a course that you are going to follow.
Your enrolment is only complete when you submit your course planning in the ‘Ready for enrolment’ tab by clicking ‘Send’.
Not being enrolled for an exam/resit means that you are not allowed to participate in the exam/resit.
Contact
Lecturer: Prof.dr. A. Silvestri
Remarks
Software
Starting from the 2024/2025 academic year, the Faculty of Science will use the software distribution platform Academic Software. Through this platform, you can access the software needed for specific courses in your studies. For some software, your laptop must meet certain system requirements, which will be specified with the software. It is important to install the software before the start of the course. More information about the laptop requirements can be found on the student website.