Preface page xi
1 Introduction 1
2 Fundamental Observations 6
2.1 The Night Sky is Dark 6
2.2 The Universe is Isotropic and Homogeneous 9
2.3 Redshift is Proportional to Distance 12
2.4 Different Types of Particles 18
2.5 Cosmic Microwave Background 23
Exercises 25
3 Newton versus Einstein 27
3.1 The Way of Newton 28
3.2 The Special Way of Einstein 29
3.3 The General Way of Einstein 34
3.4 Describing Curvature 37
3.5 The Robertson–Walker Metric 41
3.6 Proper Distance 43
Exercises 47
4 Cosmic Dynamics 49
4.1 Einstein’s Field Equation 50
4.2 The Friedmann Equation 52
4.3 The Fluid and Acceleration Equations 58
4.4 Equations of State 60
4.5 Learning to Love Lambda 63
Exercises 67
5 Model Universes 69
5.1 Evolution of Energy Density 69
5.2 Empty Universes 74
5.3 Single-component Universes 77
5.3.1 Matter only 80
5.3.2 Radiation only 81
5.3.3 Lambda only 83
5.4 Multiple-component Universes 84
5.4.1 Matter + Curvature 86
5.4.2 Matter + Lambda 90
5.4.3 Matter + Curvature + Lambda 92
5.4.4 Radiation + Matter 95
5.5 Benchmark Model 96
Exercises 100
6 Measuring Cosmological Parameters 102
6.1 “A Search for Two Numbers” 102
6.2 Luminosity Distance 106
6.3 Angular-diameter Distance 110
6.4 Standard Candles and H0 114
6.5 Standard Candles and Acceleration 116
Exercises 121
7 Dark Matter 123
7.1 Visible Matter 123
7.2 Dark Matter in Galaxies 128
7.3 Dark Matter in Clusters 130
7.4 Gravitational Lensing 135
7.5 What’s the Matter? 139
Exercises 140
8 The Cosmic Microwave Background 142
8.1 Observing the CMB 143
8.2 Recombination and Decoupling 147
8.3 The Physics of Recombination 150
8.4 Temperature Fluctuations 157
8.5 What Causes the Fluctuations? 159
Exercises 164
9 Nucleosynthesis and the Early Universe 166
9.1 Nuclear Physics and Cosmology 167
9.2 Neutrons and Protons 169
9.3 Deuterium Synthesis 174
9.4 Beyond Deuterium 177
9.5 Baryon–Antibaryon Asymmetry 181
Exercises 183
10 Inflation and the Very Early Universe 185
10.1 The Flatness Problem 186
10.2 The Horizon Problem 187
10.3 The Monopole Problem 189
10.4 The Inflation Solution 192
10.5 The Physics of Inflation 197
Exercises 202
11 Structure Formation: Gravitational Instability 204
11.1 The Matthew Effect 206
11.2 The Jeans Length 209
11.3 Instability in an Expanding Universe 213
11.4 The Power Spectrum 217
11.5 Hot versus Cold 221
11.6 Baryon Acoustic Oscillations 226
Exercises 230
12 Structure Formation: Baryons and Photons 232
12.1 Baryonic Matter Today 233
12.2 Reionization of Hydrogen 235
12.3 The First Stars and Quasars 238
12.4 Making Galaxies 242
12.5 Making Stars 248
Exercises 254
Epilogue 256
Table of Useful Constants 258
Index 259