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Physics 410/510 Observational Cosmology

Physics 410/510 On-line Access

How the Hell Did This Thing Get Here?

Modern Observational Cosmology

Instructor: Professor G. Bothun

Office: 417 Willamette
Hours: 10-12 M-F
email: nuts@moo2.uoregon.edu

Textbook:

Current Cosmological Observations and Puzzles

Images for textbook now available here

Course Overview:

This class is designed to be an up to date summary of the last 10-20 years of observations relevant to Cosmology. During this period several new kinds of theories and observations have come into existence and our expectations of a simple and well-behaved large scale universe are proving to be naieve. Also gone is our perception of a quiet expanding local universe and a sensible large scale galaxy distribution. Theory today is bombarded by a vast array of observational data but there remains no clear and preferred model for the origin and evolution of structure in the Universe. This will be the principal theme of the course: to outline in understandable terms what the latest observations are and how they are either consistent or in conflict with competeting cosmogenic scenarios. In particular, we will focus on why structure formation scenarios are largely inconsistent with the observations. This is particularly evident when you look at the power spectrum of the galaxy distribution .

Topics to be covered:

The order in which the following topics will be covered as not yet been determined. That determination will be based on the background level of the class convolved with student intrinsic in the following topics:

The Robertson Walker Metric and the Basic Cosmological Equations: Within the context of General Relativity we need to define a framework for specifying a geometrical model of the Universe that can ultimately be determined by observations.
Gravitational Instability; Euler's equations and the Jeans instability criteria for a fluid -- This is the most mathematically intensive portion of the class. This treatment defines the basic idea of fluid instability in an expanding medium, caused by density inhomogeneities. The growth of these perturbations has produced, somehow, the structure that we see today.
The Extragalactic Distance Scale - this is the procedure whereby the expansion rate and expansion age of the Universe is determined. This is central to all cosmological models. We use various properties of galaxies to determine distances. This doesn't really work all that well.
Large Scale Structure -- The galaxy distribution is unbeleviably clustered on a variety of size scales. Huge voids, great walls and sheets and large clusters define a complex distrubution of matter which currently is very poorly understood. As discussed above, the abundance of structures seen is not understood in any theory whatsoever.
The inflationary paradigm and the nature of the Dark Matter - Inflation solves a lot of problems that are inherent in the standard Big Bang Model. However, that model makes some specific predictions the most significant of which is that the Universe must be entirely dominated by Dark Matter whose nature is still, almost entirely unknown.
Galaxy Formation and Evolution - Ultimately galaxies serve as luminous probes of the Universe yet we are very ignorant of how they formed and what their overall evolutionary patterns are.

So if it seems like we don't know very much about Cosmology that would be a correct inference. This course is about what we know and what we don't know and the data which can be used to support or refute various models.

How this Class Works

All material used in class will be available through the course web pages. The lectures will set the context and go through the derivations that are on the web pages.
Sometimes the lectures will be delivered using computer projection as the primary tool; other times the blackboard will be used.
Student assignments will be based on data and simulations; some of which are found at various web sites.

Grading

There will be no midterms
There will be several homework assignments given out throughout. Some of these will require an in class oral report. These count for 40% of your grade.
Students will do an intensive term project which will account for 30% of your grade.
There will be a comprehensive final exam which accounts for the remaining 30%.

Internet Resources For This Class

COBE Home Page
Hubble Deep Field
Extensive Visualization in various Cosmogenic Scenarios From University of California Santa Cruz cosmology group - go there!
Theory of Everything

Homework Assignments:

Lectures

Lecture #1 Friday Jan 10 --> Overview and underpinnings of Big Bang Cosmology
Lectures #2--3 M-W Jan 12,14 --> Galaxy Evolution
Lecture #4 Friday Jan 17 --> Basic Cosmological equations and framework (pages 17-22)
Lecture #5 Wed Jan 22 --> Basic Cosmological equations and framework continued (pages 22-26)
- 5a --> Modern Cosmological Puzzles
Lecture #6 Fri Jan 24 --> Finding the Hubble Constant
Lecture #7 Mon Jan 27 --> The Tully- Fisher Relation
Lecture #8 Wed Jan 29 --> The Evidence for Dark Matter: Local Scales
Lecture #9 Fri Jan 31 --> The Evidence for Dark Matter: Galactic Scales
Lecture #10 Mon Feb 3 --> The Evidence for Dark Matter: Clusters of Galaxies
Lecture #11 Wed Feb 5 --> Kinds of Dark Matter and Observational Constraints
Lecture #12 Fri Feb 7 --> Dynamical Determinations of the Mass Density: Infall Velocities
Lecture #13 Mon Feb 10 --> Great Attractors (?)
Lecture #14 Wed Feb 12 --> The Isothermal Sphere --> Flat Rotation Curves
Lecture #15,16,17 --> M Feb 17 , W Feb 19, M Feb 24 --> Structure formation from Gravitational Instability
Lecture #18 Wed Feb 26 --> More on structure formation
Lecture #19 Fri Feb 28 --> The Power Spectrum of the Galaxy Distribution"
Lecture #20 Mon Mar 3 --> Some Observational Constrains on Structure Formation Scenarios
Lecture #21 Wed Mar 5 --> Clusters of Galaxies as Observational Constraints
Lecture #22 Mon Mar 10 --> QSO Absorption Lines and other Cosmological Probes
Lecture #23 Wed Mar 12 --> Where are the Baryons?
Lecture #24 Fri Mar 14 --> Did we answer any questions this term?