Kosmologie und Strukturbildung 2

What it is about

You will learn the fundamentals and techniques of cosmic inflation and nonlinear structure formation. The module conveys how inflation is described by scalar fields, how the statistical properties of primordial density fluctuations follow from that, and how weakly nonlinear structures up to gravitational collapse and bias can be treated quantitatively. By the end you will be able to analyze inflation theories, derive predictions for observables, and apply perturbation theory methods to structure statistics.

What you will be able to do

• Present motivation and quantitative arguments for the paradigm of cosmic inflation
• Solve the equations of motion for the inflaton field and explain relevant approximations
• Apply slow-roll approximation to new models and derive predictions for density fluctuations
• Compute the spectral index and tensor-to-scalar ratio
• Present mechanisms for isocurvature perturbations and non-Gaussianity and apply to new scenarios
• quantitatively assess the magnitude of nonlinear effects for given observables
• Apply methods of perturbation theory to weakly nonlinear observables
• Calculate when a density fluctuation collapses to a gravitationally bound object
• Outline and apply statistical methods that describe biased tracers

What the module consists of

• VorlesungDelivery of the thematic structure, technical skills, and physical understanding; connections to research and observations
• ÜbungPractice techniques with examples and computational problems; deepening through transfer tasks, preparation for the module exam

Teaching method

• Vorlesung mit Folien/Grafiken und TafelanschriebStructured conveyance of the learning content, emphasis on technique and understanding
• Wöchentliches Skript auf MoodleSupport and revision of the lecture contents
• Übungsblätter mit Korrektur und interaktiver DiskussionPractical practice of computation methods and preparation for exam questions