Course overview
Now updated for 2021
Instructor: Prof. Andreas Albrecht ajalbrecht@ucdavis.edu
TA: Arsalan Adil aadil@ucdavis.edu
Normal class meeting time: MW 9-10:20am on Zoom (as per our in-class discussion on 4/5, zoom lectures will be recorded and posted in Canvas, starting with the 4/5 lecture)
Office Hours: Albrecht: Wed 2:30-3:30, and by appointment. (Zoom link available on Canvas). Adil: 12n-1pm
Additional Meeting Times: If you cannot make regular office hours, or would like a chance to discuss a matter individually, please contact Albrecht or Adil to arrange a meeting.
Topics Covered: Big Bang Cosmology, Nucleosynthesis, Dark Matter, Dark Energy/Cosmic Acceleration, Cosmic Inflation. (Cosmic structure formation will be mentioned briefly, but that is mainly the domain of Phys 263)
Course Grade: Based entirely on homework. The grading of the homework will be very broad brush. If there is something you do not understand it is your responsibility to engage with me, the TA or fellow students to improve your understanding. The issue will not necessarily be caught through detailed grading of the homework.
Homework: Homework will normally be assigned every Wednesday and is due 11pm Wednesday of the following week unless otherwise specified. Homework must be turned in as an upload on the Canvas system, and should include files showing the code you have written. (See this page for important information about computer use for the course)
Collaboration: Students are encouraged to collaborate on their homework if it is helpful. However, each student is responsible for understanding thoroughly everything they turn in.
General Relativity: I will quote results from GR in this class (mainly to develop the FRW cosmological model), and use them extensivley. I will not teach GR, and students will be responsible for being sufficinetly comfortable with GR to work with the material presented.