Course Outline

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1. Introduction
2. Fundamental Observations

   2.1 The Night Sky is Dark

   2.2 On Large Scales, the Universe Is Isotropic and Homogeneous

   2.3 Galaxies Show a Redshift Proportional to Their Distance

   2.4 The Universe Contains Different Types of Particles

   2.5 The Universe Is Filled with a Cosmic Microwave Background

3. Newton Versus Einstein

   3.1 Newton's Way

   3.2 Einstein's Way: Special Relativity

   3.3 Einstein’s Way: General Relativity and the Equivalence Principle

   3.4 Describing Curvature

   3.5 The Robertson-Walker Metric

   3.6 Proper Distance

4. Cosmic Dynamics

   4.1 Einstein's Field Equation

   4.2 The Friedmann Equation

   4.3 The Fluid and Acceleration Equations

   4.4 Equations of State

   4.5 Learning to Love Lambda

5. Model Universes

   5.1 Evolution of Energy Density

   5.2 Empty Universe

   5.3 Single-Component Universes

   5.3.1 Matter only

   5.3.2 Radiation only

   5.3.3 Lambda only

   5.4 Multiple-Component Universes

   5.4.1 Matter + Curvature

   5.4.2 Matter + Lambda

   5.4.3 Matter + Curvature + Lambda

   5.4.4 Radiation + Matter

   5.4 Benchmark Model

6. Measuring Cosmological Parameters

   6.1 "A Search for Two Numbers"

   6.2 Luminosity Distance

   6.3 Angular-Diameter Distance

   6.4 Standard Candles and the Hubble Constant

   6.5 Standard Candles and the Accelerating Universe

7. Dark Matter

   7.1 Visible Matter

   7.2 Dark Matter in Galaxies

   7.3 Dark Matter in Clusters

   7.4 Gravitational Lensing

   7.5 What's the Matter?

8. The Cosmic Microwave Background

   8.1 Observing the CMB

   8.2 Recombination and Decoupling

   8.3 The Physics of Recombination

   8.4 Temperature Fluctuations

   8.5 What Causes the Fluctuations?

9. Nucleosynthesis and the Early Universe

   9.1 Nuclear Physics and Cosmology

   9.2 Neutrons and Protons

   9.3 Deuterium Synthesis

   9.4 Beyond Deuterium

   9.5 Baryon-Antibaryon Asymmetry

10. Inflation and the Very Early Universe

    10.1 The Flatness Problem

    10.2 The Horizon Problem

    10.3 The Monopole Problem

    10.4 The Inflation Solution

    10.5 The Physics of Inflation

11. Structure Formation: Gravitational Instability

    11.1 The Matthew Effect

    11.2 The Jeans Length

    11.3 Instability in an Expanding Universe

    11.4 The Power Spectrum

    11.5 Hot Versus Cold

    11.6 Baryon Acoustic Oscillations

12. Structure Formation: Baryons and Photons

    12.1 Baryonic Matter Today

    12.2 Reionization of Hydrogen

    12.3 The First Stars and Quasars

    12.4 Making Galaxies

    12.5 Making Stars