COSMOLOGY

An Introduction to Particle Cosmology



A course by Bohdan Grządkowski

Institute of Theoretical Physics, University of Warsaw

office: 4.48

phone: +48 22 5532848

e-mail: Bohdan.Grzadkowski@fuw.edu.pl

Winter semester 2026/27

lectures: Tuesday, 12:15 pm, room B0.03

class: Wednesdays, 14:15 pm, room 1.37

Why Cosmology?

Links between particle physics and cosmology

The outline of the course:

  1. The Observed Universe
  2. Sketchy Cosmology
  3. A Brief "Course" of the General Relativity and the Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) Metric
  4. Cosmological Models
  5. Cosmological Distances
  6. Thermodynamics of the Early Universe
  7. Thermal Relics from the Big Bang
  8. Inflation
  9. The Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation
  10. Baryogenesis

The course grading:

  1. Participation in lectures and classes: up to 3 unexcused absences are allowed for lecture and class separately (in justified cases the lecturer may allow for more than 3 absences).
  2. Middle term test: students are allowed to bring one A4 format sheet of paper containing formulae, solutions of the problems listed as "exemplary problems" nor those which were posted as homeworks are not allowed.
  3. Final written exam: 3 selected problems either solved in the class during the course or contained in homework problems, for the non-exhaustive list of exemplary problems see here , students are allowed to bring one A4 format sheet of paper containing formulae, solutions of the problems listed as "exemplary problems" nor those which were posted as a homeworks are not allowed.
  4. Final oral exam: material limited exclusively to the lecture notes posted below, for the list of problems see here , "formulae sheet" is not allowed during the oral exam.

Middle term test: December 7th 2026, time: 9:00 - 13:00, room: 1.02

First term exam:

  • written: January 25th 2027, time: 10:00 - 14:00, room 1.02,
  • oral: January 27th-29th 2027, time: 10:30 - 17:00, office 4.48,

    Recommended texbooks

    1. A. Liddle, "Wprowadzenie do kosmologii wspolczesnej"
    2. L. Bergström and A. Goobar, "Cosmology and Particle Astrophysics"
    3. E. Kolb and M. Turner, "The Early Universe"
    4. D.S. Gorbunov and V.A. Rubakov, "Introduction to the theory of the early universe: Hot big bang theory"
    5. S. Weinberg, "Gravitation and Cosmology"

    Additional texbooks, articles and web pages:

    1. J. A. Romeu "Derivation of Friedman equations",
    2. E. R. Harrison, "Cosmology: The Science of the Universe"
    3. T. Padmanabhan, "Cosmology and Astrophysics Through Problems"
    4. L. Husdal, "On Effective Degrees of Freedom in the Early Universe", Galaxies 4, no. 4, 78 (2016), doi:10.3390/galaxies4040078, arXiv:1609.04979;
    5. T. M. Davis and Ch. H. Lineweaver, "Superluminal Recession Velocities", AIP Conf. Proc. 555, 348 (2001);
    6. Ch. H. Lineweaver and T. M. Davis, "Misconceptions about the Big Bang", Scientific American, March 2005;
    7. T. M. Davis and Ch. H. Lineweaver, "Expanding Confusion: common misconceptions of cosmological horizons and the superluminal expansion of the universe", 2004, Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia, 21, 97-109;
    8. G.F.R. Ellis and T. Rothman, "Lost horizons", Am. J. Phys. 61, pp. 883-893 (1993), DOI:10.1119/1.17400;
    9. Michael Rauch, "Comments on ‘‘Lost Horizons’’ by G. F. R. Ellis and T. Rothman ", [Am. J. Phys. 61 (10), 883–893 (1993)], Am. J. Phys. 63, 87 (1995); doi: 10.1119/1.17777;
    10. G.F.R. Ellis and T. Rothman, "Past light cone shape and refocusing in cosmology, A Response to Michael Rauch's "Comments on "Lost Horizons""", [Am. J. Phys. 63, 87 (1995)], Am. J. Phys. 63, 88 (1995);
    11. M. A. Abramowicz, S. Bajtlik, Jean-Pierre Lasota, A. Moudenshttp, "Eppur si espande", 2007, Acta Astr., 57, 139, "A short answer to critics of our article "Eppur si espande" [arXiv:astro-ph/0612155]", 2008, M. Abramowicz and S. Bajtlik, "A jednak się rozszerza!", Świat Nauki, 2 (181), 2007;
    12. Yu. V. Baryshev, "Expanding Space: The Root of Conceptual Problems of the Cosmological Physics", 2008;
    13. J. P. Kneller1 and G. Steigman, "BBN For Pedestrians", New Journal of Physics, 6 (2004) 117;
    14. S. Perlmutter, "Supernovae, Dark Energy, and the Accelerating Universe", Physics Today, April 2003;
    15. G. Cook and R. H. Dickerson, "Understanding the chemical potential", American Journal of Physics, Vol. 63, Issue 8, 737;
    16. D. Lyth, " Particle physics models of inflation", Lect.Notes Phys.738:81-118, 2008.
    17. A. Linde, " Inflationary Cosmology ", Lect.Notes Phys.738:1-54, 2008;
    18. Ned Wright's Cosmology Tutorial;
    19. Supernova Cosmology Project;
    20. Hubblesite;

    Lecture notes :

    1. The Observed Universe
    2. Sketchy Cosmology
    3. A Brief "Course" of the General Relativity

    Class problems:

    Homework problems:

    Copyright © 2008 by Bohdan Grządkowski. All copyrights reserved for all original material presented in this course through any medium, including lecture or print.