Cosmology

Cosmology, a subfield of extragalactic astrophysics, focuses on the origin, evolution, and ultimate fate of the universe. It involves the study of the cosmic microwave background radiation, dark matter, dark energy, and the overall geometry of the universe.

In this unit, we will cover:

• The microwave background radiation
• Geometry of the universe and the FLRW metric
• Friedmann equations and cosmological models

Recommended Reading

• Chapter 19 to 24 of “Foundations of Astrophysics” by Barbara Ryden and Bradley M. Peterson
• Chapter 24 to 30 of “An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics” by Bradley W. Carroll and Dale A. Ostlie
• Chapter 17, 18, 19 and 20 of “Fundamental Astronomy” by Hannu Karttunen et al.
• Chapter 1 to 10 of “Introduction to Cosmology” by Barbara Ryden