Universita` di Bologna Cosmology Course April-May 2006:
 
Universita` di Bologna
Dipartimento di Astronomia
Cosmology (2nd half of course)
27 April - 25 May 2006
Prof. Steven T. Myers
 
Martedi 4pm-6pm
Giovedi 5pm-7pm
Rm 2
 
Last update: 19 July 2006
 
  Lectures:
 
  Lecture Date Text Topic
  L0127 Apr7.7-7.8.1 Cosmological Problems and Horizons
  L0202 May7.8.2-7.10 The Inflationary Universe
  L0304 May7.10-7.12 End of Inflation and Reheating
  L0409 May13.1-13.6 Primordial Fluctuations from Inflation
  L0511 May17.1-17.3 Fluctuations and the Cosmic Microwave Bacground
  L0616 May17.4 The Theory of CMB Fluctuations
  L0718 May17.5-17.6 Cosmological Parameters and CMB Power Spectrum
  L0823 May--- CMB Polarization and Observations
  L0925 May17.7 WMAP, CBI, and the Sunyaev-Zeldovich Effect
 
  Textbook: "Cosmology - The Origin and Evolution of Cosmic Structure", P. Coles and F. Lucchin (2nd Ed.)
  Extra Reference: "Physical Foundation of Cosmology", V. Mukhanov (Cambridge, 2005)
 
  Slides from Lectures

Note - the powerpoint contains some animations that are not available in the pdf.
 
  References:
 
  Cosmological Constant and Inflation

Cosmic Microwave Background - Theory

Cosmic Microwave Background - Observations

Power Spectrum and Parameter Estimation and Bayesian Inference

The Sunyaev-Zeldovich Effect
 
  Online Resources:
 
  CMB Codes
  • CMBFAST - compute CMB power spectra, with LAMBDA Online form interface
  • CMBEASY - C++ code based on CMBFAST
  • CAMB - an alternative to CMBFAST, also with LAMBDA online form interface
  • COSMOMC - Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) for parameter estimation from data and models
  • HEALPIX - optimal gridding of the sphere for CMB mapping (including fast spherical harmonic transforms)

CMB and Cosmology Websites

CMB Data and Observations

Literature Archives and Searches
 
   
 

Don't take jesters into outer space,
that's my advice.

Fourteen lifeless planets,
a few comets, two stars.
By the time you take off for the third star,
your jesters will be out of humor.

--- Wislawa Szymborska, from "Warning".