29::273 General Relativity and Cosmology Syllabus
Fall Semester 2004
Instructor: Prof. Yannick Meurice
Course Content
The main topic of the course is Cosmology. The course will be taught in
such way that it can be taken by graduate
and undergraduate students who completed 29:129-130 and 29:140-141 .
We will introduce the basic ideas and equations of General Relativity
using the short monography of Dirac (see ref. below). We will
then discuss the cosmological principle
(hypothesis that the universe is homogeneous and isotropic), derive
the
simplified Einstein equations which follow from
this principle and discuss the treatement of perturbations. Recent
results concerning the cosmic microwave
background and observations of remote supernovae will be discussed
using "Modern Cosmology " by Scott Dodelson.
Instructor
- Office:514 VAN
- Phone:335-1991
- Email:yannick-meurice@uiowa.edu
- Web page:http://www-hep.physics.uiowa.edu/~meurice or link
from
http://www.physics.uiowa.edu/
- Lectures: TTh 10:55 AM to 12:10 PM in Lecture Room 618 in the Van
Allen Building.
- Office Hours: Mondays 10:45-11:45 AM , Tuesdays 9:40-10:40
and Thursdays 9:30-10:30 AM or by appointment
Textbooks
Main textbooks:
P. A. M. Dirac, General Theory of Relativity, Princeton, 1975.
S. Dodelson, Modern Cosmology , Academic Press, 2003.
A. Liddle, An Introduction to Modern Cosmology, Wiley, 2003.
Additional references:
P. J. Peebles, Principles of Physical Cosmology, Princeton, 1993.
S. Weinberg, Gravitation and Cosmology, Wiley, 1972.
A. Taylor and J. Wheeler, Exploring Black Holes, Addison-Wesley, 2000.
C. Misner, K. Thorne and J. Wheeler, Gravitation, Freeman, 1973.
H. Ohanian and R. Ruffini, Gravitation and Spacetime, Norton, 1994.
A. Linde, Particle Physics and Inflationary Cosmology, Harwood, 1990.
Homeworks
A reading assignment and a problem set will be provided each week
during the class. Assignments will be posted at
http://www-hep.physics.uiowa.edu/~meurice/gr/todo4.html
Examinations and Final
Grade
There will be two in-class exams during the semester. These two exams
will test the understanding of the basic material taught in class. The
final exam will test the ability to learn more advanced material.
The final grade will be calculated in the
following way: 20 points for the homeworks, 50 points for the in-class
exams
and 30 points for the final exam.
Class Attendance
Attendance at lectures is highly recommended but not required. You are
strongly encouraged to ask questions during the lectures.
There are no ``stupid questions''.
DEPARTMENT OF
PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY MAIN OFFICE
AVAILABILTY OF MODIFICATIONS
- “I need to
hear from anyone who has a disability, which may require some
modification of seating, testing, or other class requirements so that
appropriate arrangements may be made. Please contact me during my
office hours."
Students with disablities should also contact the Office of Student
Disabilities Services (335-1462)
PROCEDURES
FOR STUDENT COMPLAINTS
- A student who has a complaint related
to a Physics or Astronomy course should follow the procedures
summarized below. The full policy on student complaints is on-line in
the College's Student Academic Handbook http://www.clas.uiowa.edu/faculty/handbook/5/f.shtml
• Ordinarily, the student should attempt to resolve the matter with the
instructor first. If the complaint is not resolved to the student's
satisfaction, the student should go to the course supervisor (if the
instructor is a teaching assistant) or to Associate Chair, Professor
Craig Kletzing..
• If the matter remains unresolved, the student may submit a written
complaint to the Associate Dean for Academic Programs, 120 Schaeffer
Hall (335-2633). The associate dean will attempt to resolve the
complaint and, if necessary, may convene a special committee to
recommend appropriate action. In any event, the associate dean will
respond to the student in writing regarding the disposition of the
complaint. For any complaint that cannot be resolved through the
mechanisms described above, please refer to the College’s Student
Academic Handbook for further information.
A student suspected of
plagiarism or cheating must inform the student in writing as soon as
possible after the incident has been observed or discovered. Instructors who detect cheating or plagiarism
may decide, in consultation with the departmental executive officer, to
reduce the student's grade on the assignment or the course, even to
assign an F. The instructor writes an account of the chronology of the
plagiarism or cheating incident for the DEO (Associate Chair), who
sends an endorsement of the written report of the case to the Associate
Dean for Academic Programs, CLAS. A copy of the report will be
sent to the student.
-
The College guideline is that one semester
hour of credit is the equivalent of approximately three hours of work
(class time + out-of-class preparation) each week over the course of a
whole semester. In a typical lecture/discussion course, each hour of
class normally entails at least two hours of outside preparation for
the average student (e.g., in a three-credit-hour lecture course,
standard out-of-class preparation is six hours per week). This standard
is the basis on which the Registrar's Office assigns hours of
University credit for courses.
STUDENT RIGHTS AND
RESPONSIBILITIES
- The College's
Educational Policy Committee suggests that syllabi include a section on
student rights and responsibilities. They suggest the following:
- "All students
in the College have specific rights and responsibilities. You have the
right to adjudication of any complaints you have about classroom
activities or instructor actions. Information on these procedures is
available in the Schedule of Courses and on-line in the College's
Student Academic Handbook (http://www.clas.uiowa.edu/students/academic_handbook/).
You also have the right to expect a classroom environment that enables
you to learn, including modifications if you have a disability."
- "Your
responsibilities to this class-and to your education as a whole-include
attendance
and participation. (Here an instructor could put specific information
on his/her or the department's attendance policy.) You are also
expected to be honest and honorable in your fulfillment of assignments
and in test-taking situations (the College's policy on plagiarism and
cheating is on-line in the College's Student Academic Handbook http://www.clas.uiowa.edu/students/academic_handbook/).
You have a responsibility to the rest of the class-and to the
instructor-to help create a classroom environment where all may learn.
At the most basic level, this means that you will respect the other
members of the class and the instructor, and treat them with the
courtesy you hope to receive in turn."
- This course is given by the College of Liberal Arts and
Sciences. This means that class policies on matters such as
requirements, grading, and sanctions for academic dishonesty are
governed by the College of Liberal Arts and
Sciences.
Students wishing to add or drop this course after the official deadline
must receive the approval of the Dean of the College of Liberal
Arts and Sciences . Details of the University policy of cross
enrollments may be found at:
http://www.uiowa.edu/~provost/deos/crossenroll.doc