The universe... All of you will have already thought about questions like: where does the universe come from? Has it always been like this? Where will it go from here? In this course we will look into what we know about our universe so far. This will lead us back in time and out into the deep space. Exciting new insights have resulted from recent observations by major telescopes. Our tools will be a firm knowledge of basic physics (e.g. gravitation, electromagnetic waves) and mathematics (some calculus). Knowledge about astrophysics is useful, but not required for this course. The formal requirement for this course is that you have passed PHYS 122 successfully.

Recent observations and theoretical studies show us a rather complex universe. Starting with the "Big Bang" which is followed by a radiation dominated phase, and matter forming, the so-called nucleosynthesis, in the early universe. An effect we call "inflation" made the universe expand faster than what one would expect, before we enter the phase of the matter dominated universe, when we observe the first stars and galaxies forming. With the ongoing evolution of the universe to our times we observe many aspects of cosmology, such as dark matter and dark energy (which is again pushing space apart), and the expansion of the universe itself. Still our understanding of what is going on in the universe is far from being complete - but at the end of the course, you will have a good overview about what we know, what we assume, and what the big questions are which still have to be solved.

At the end of the course you will know something about the main steps in the development of the Univserse:

• Nucleosynthesis
• Inflation
• Free Expansion
• Dark Matter and Dark Energy
• Matter content of the Universe and large scale structure

You will also be able to

• apply different cosmological models (flat, positively and negatively curved, with and without cosmological constant) and derive insights by using e.g. the Robertson-Walker metric, Friedmann equation, acceleration equation and fluid equation.
• give some examples how cosmological effects are measured today, e.g. through SuperNovae, Gravitational lensing, observations of the microwave background, element abundance measurements (e.g. in metal poor stars or through absorption line systems)
• point out problems and limitations of the models we have today

In these pages you will find information about the course: a detailed schedule for fall 2006, the required and recommended literature, and the grading system for this course. If you missed a lecture you can find here also the homework. Under Who is Who you find more information about the physicists behind the science we discuss. You can contact me during my UMBC office hours or at NASA/GSFC.
This course is part of JCA's undergraduate program offered by UMBC physics.

Prerequisite: Physics 122

These pages are maintained by Volker Beckmann. Last update: December 2006