NFYK16010U Particle Physics and the Early Universe

Skills
To achieve the goals of the course and exam the students should know:

• Basic principles of the Bing Bang theory. Classification of epochs of the cosmological expansion.
• Cosmological solutions for scalar factor for different equations of state of the matter.
• Motivation for Inflation. Basic equation of evolution of the vacuum state of the matter in the Universe.
• Solution of fundamental problems of the cosmology in the theory of inflation ( initial conditions of inflation, particle horizon, origin of the primordial perturbations, creation of matter due to decay of inflaton)
• Origin of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). Testing the theory of inflation by the modern CMB experiments (the WMAP and the PLANCK) .
• Possible explanation of the origin of the Dark Matter and the Dark Energy and corresponding uncertainties.

The grade 12 is given to a student who has shown clear understanding of the theoretical and experimental aspects covered in the course, independence and initiative during the exercises, and has achieved all the goals mentioned above,
The grade 2 is given to a student who has achieved only minimally the course.


Knowledge
The student will after the course know the basic theories of the modern cosmology and high energy physics, and will have an experience in the gravitational waves physics.

Competences
From practical exercises the student will have gained experience in writing simple analytical and computational calculations and in analyzing and visualizing real and simulated data with computers. This course will provide the students with a competent background for further studies within this research field, i.e. a M.Sc. project.