PH40138: Cosmology
[Page last updated: 23 April 2025]
| Academic Year: | 2025/26 |
| Owning Department/School: | Department of Physics |
| Credits: | 6 [equivalent to 12 CATS credits] |
| Notional Study Hours: | 120 |
| Level: | Masters UG & PG (FHEQ level 7) |
| Period: |
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| Assessment Summary: | EXOB 100% |
| Assessment Detail: |
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| Supplementary Assessment: |
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| Requisites: | Before taking this module you must take PH30111 |
| Learning Outcomes: |
After taking this unit the student should be able to:
outline the key ideas behind cosmology and the expanding universe;
describe the evolutionary history of the Universe, demonstrating an understanding of the key evolutionary stages and their timescales;
explain the standard cosmological model, 锟铰緾DM, and discuss potential extensions to this model;
show how the evolution of the Universe is affected by changing the relative fractions of the mass components and different values of curvature;
outline the observations and techniques used to establish the accelerating expansion of the universe, including systematics and sources of uncertainty;
describe the observation and analysis of the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation, including systematics and sources of uncertainty;
describe current state of the art cosmology experiments, how their results compare to each other, and current open questions that they address. |
| Synopsis: | You will extend your knowledge of observational cosmology, and will learn about the techniques and observations that have constrained current cosmological models. |
| Content: | Inflationary cosmology. Observations of the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation. Observations and analysis of the extragalactic distance ladder. Observations of gravitational waves. Sources of systematic and measurement uncertainty in cosmology.
Comparison of results from different cosmological experiments. Current state of the art experiments. Open questions in the field and potential implications.
Nucleosynthesis. Baryogenesis. Composition of the Universe (matter, dark matter, dark energy). Geometry of the Universe. Dark matter. Dark energy. Structure formation. |
| Course availability: |
PH40138 is Compulsory on the following courses:Department of Physics
PH40138 is Optional on the following courses:Department of Physics
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Notes:
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