Cosmology discussion outline 1. Fundamental Cosmological Observations 1. the speed of light is finite 2.

sky is dark at night [Olbers' paradox] 3. faint galaxies are uniformly distributed in the sky over large scales (see fig. 4.6) 4. redshift is observed in spectra of galaxies [Hubble flow] 5. mass fraction of Helium ~25-30% in nearly all cosmic objects 6. oldest star clusters ~12 Gyrs old 7. an isotropic microwave radiation is present everywhere (Cosmic Microwave Background radiation) 2. Conclusions from observation * Olbers' paradox and Hubble flow tells us universe is not static and infinite but rather dynamic and finite *age is greater than 12 Gyr [13.7 Gyr, WMAP] * isotropic and homogeneous [Cosmological principle] (see fig. 4.6) *expanding (see Fig. 1.6) [ recession velocity = Hubbles constant * distance in Mpc, Mpc = 3.09*10^22 m] >>Hubbles constant = 72 km/s/Mpc measure of expansion rate; rate of change in scale factor 3. Parameters of the expansion 0 [total density/critical density (~10^-29 g/cm^3)] = [matter density/crit. dens.] + [radiation density/crit. dens.] + [vacuum energy density/crit. dens.] (see figure) Deceleration parameter q = -0.6 (q<0 accelerating, q>0 decelerating) Current values: = 0.27 +/- 0.04 = 8.24 105 = 0.73 0.04 0 = 1.02 0.02 [WMAP] UNIVERSE IS (CLOSE TO) FLAT (0 = 1) AND WILL EXPAND FOREVER 4. Big Bang Cosmology *1964 Gamow and Alpher explained cosmic abundance of Helium with idea of hot dense universe (past explosion) ; Same year Hoyle (termed Gamows idea as Big Bang), Bondi, and Gold published steady-state idea (infinitely old + cosmological principle, expands with creation of matter) *Hoyle, Burbridge and Burbridge successfully explained stellar nucleosynthesis w/c is compatible with BB & SS but cannot account for helium abundance *The tipping point: CMB; Gamows idea predicted a hot dense universe that would have cooled off by expansion and have left-over blackbody radiation around 5 K. 1964, Penzias and Wilson discovered interference in their antenna that can only come from a blackbody around 3K. (see Fig 1.10) *Deathblow to SS. Nobel prize to Wilson and Penzias. Current value T = 2.725 +/- 0.002 K [COBE] 5. Dark Energy Era (see fig. 1.15 and fig.1.7 for evidence in type 1A supernovae) = , measure of the vacuum energy density Contributions to : 3x10^47 (EW) + 1.6x10^36 (QCD) + 2x10^110 (QM) = ~10^110 Observed: ~2x10^-10 ergs/cm^3 120 orders of magnitude difference!!! Dark Energy Problem 6. Dark matter problem Hot or cold: hot (relativistic massive neutrinos) cold (wimps or axions) Evidence from galactic rotation curves (see Fig. 24.25) and galactic distribution (fig. 1.13)

References: Introduction to Modern Astrophysics. Carroll and Ostlie. 2007 Modern Cosmology: An Introduction. Scott Dodelson. 2002 The Cosmological Constant. Sean Carroll. Living reviews in relativity. 2001. Cosmology: The Origin and Structure of the Universe. Coles and Lucchin. 2002. Astronomy Today. Chaisson and McMillan. 2002.