FY812: General relativity and cosmology

Study Board for Natural Sciences

Teaching language: Danish, but English if international students are enrolled
EKA: N510027102
Assessment: Second examiner: Internal
Grading: 7-point grading scale
Offered in: Odense
Offered in: Autumn
Level: Master

STADS ID (UVA): N510027101
ECTS value: 5

Date of Approval: 07-03-2025


Duration: 1 semester

Version: Approved - active

Internal Course Code

FY812

Comment

If there are fewer than 12 students enrolled, the course may. be held with another teaching form (flipped classroom).

Entry requirements

None

Academic preconditions

A knowledge of special relativity and quantum mechanics.

In relation to the course FY535 / FY836: Astrophysics and elementary Cosmology (5 ECTS), this course goes beyond the descriptive introduction to cosmology in the course FY535 / FY836: Astrophysics and elementary Cosmology (5 ECTS). Beyond general relativity,  the curse also provides a deeper and more fundamental introduction to cosmology.

Course introduction

The student should after the course be able to understand the research literature in general relativity and cosmology and perform calculations and solve problems in the fields of general relativity and cosmology. This is important in order to be able to understand the Universe's origin, evolution and fate and ultimately answer the big questions about our own origin, but also for applications in satellite technology and aerospace. 

Expected learning outcome

After completing the course the student is expected to:
  • Explain knowledge of general relativity
  • Explain and discuss the basic phenomena in cosmology
  • Solve problems in general relativity and cosmology, including problems related to space, black holes, and the evolution of the universe.
  • Describe the evolution of the early Universe.

Content

General relativity: equivalence principle, covariant and contravariant tensors, curvature tensor, Einstein's equation, Black Holes, FRW metric.
Cosmology: Hubble redshift and microwave background radiation, cosmological models, the early Universe.

Literature

Litteratur: Ta-Pei Cheng: Relativity, Gravitation and Cosmology -- A Basic Introduction, second edition 2010, Oxford University Press.
Lecture notes
See itslearning for syllabus lists and additional literature references.

Examination regulations

Exam element a)

Timing

January

Tests

Oral exam

EKA

N510027102

Assessment

Second examiner: Internal

Grading

7-point grading scale

Identification

Student Identification Card - Name

Language

Normally, the same as teaching language

Duration

20 minutes

Examination aids

To be announced during the course 

ECTS value

5

Indicative number of lessons

42 hours per semester

Teaching Method

Planned lessons: 
Total number of planned lessons: 42
Hereof: 
Common lessons in classroom/auditorium 42

There will be blackboard lectures and exercise classes 


 
Other planned teaching activities: 
Students are expected to work with the textbook and examples and exercises herein. The students are expected to prepare themselves for the exercise classes, and try to solve the exercises before class, and prepare a presentation of their solution for the other students. The students are also expected to use self-study to pick up on teaching tasks as well as a reserve a small part for repetition up to the oral exam.

Teacher responsible

Name E-mail Department
Martin Snoager Sloth sloth@sdu.dk Fysik

Timetable

Administrative Unit

Fysik, kemi og Farmaci

Team at Registration

NAT

Offered in

Odense

Recommended course of study

Profile Education Semester Offer period

Transition rules

Transitional arrangements describe how a course replaces another course when changes are made to the course of study. 
If a transitional arrangement has been made for a course, it will be stated in the list. 
See transitional arrangements for all courses at the Faculty of Science.