Course - Gravitation and Cosmology - FY3452
Gravitation and Cosmology
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About the course
Course content
Special relativity. Lagrange formulation of classical fields. Differential geometry. Curved spaces and gravitation. Einstein's field equations. Special geometries (Friedmann, Schwarzschild, Kerr...). Black holes. Gravitational waves. Cosmological models.
Learning outcome
Knowledge:
The students should learn the basic principles and formalism of classical field theory in general, and in particular the application of these to problems in gravitation and cosmology. The students should learn the basic concepts and methods of differential geometry as applied to general relativity. The students should learn the main verified predictions of general relativity, and the main properties of the standard model of cosmology.
Skills:
The student should learn to analyze simple models in the field.
General competence:
The candidate should be able to apply abstract mathematical models to concrete physical problems.
Learning methods and activities
Lectures and exercise sessions; Expected workload in the course is 225 hours.
Further on evaluation
The final mark is based on two assessments, "delvurderinger": Final written exam (67%) and a mid-semester (home) exam (33%). In case of a repeat exam, the written exam can be changed to an oral one.
When lectures are given English, the exam will be given in English only.
Recommended previous knowledge
Knowledge of physics and mathematics equivalent to three years study of university physics.
Course materials
J.B. Hartle: Gravity. An introduction to Einstein's General Relativity.
Additional literature: Jan Myrheim: Classical theory of fields, Michael Kachelriess: Lecture notes for FY3452; Gravitation and Cosmology.
Credit reductions
| Course code | Reduction | From |
|---|---|---|
| TFY4270 | 7.5 sp | Autumn 2007 |
| FY8903 | 7.5 sp | Autumn 2010 |
Subject areas
- Astrophysics
- Theoretical Physics
- Astronomy
- Physics