Detailed Definitions are in my notes

Use this page as your study guide. Also use my Astro 161 site for more elementary discussions. Lectures 2 - 11 are relevant for the first exam. Lectures 12 - 22 are relevant for the second exam. Lectures R4 + 23 - 26 are relevant for the final exam. R = Reading Assignments. L = Labs. APCMR = Astrophysical Cosmology by Martin Rees.
LECTURE SUMMARY
R1 APCMR = Pre-galactic history; Status of the hot-big-bang hypothesis
R2 Inter-galactic fog in the Milky Way
R3 Fluctuation spectrum at the recombination era; Clues from the CMBR; Methods of determining Omega
R4 MAP results and their implications for precision cosmology
1 Mapping of galaxies in the directions of north and south galactic poles; Distribution of galaxies in close proximity of the Milky Way; Homogeneous galaxy distribution at large scale; Arguments for the cosmological principle; Rejection of geocentric and anthropocentric arguments; Universe has no center or edge; Galaxies do not move, spacetime expands; Habble's law and age of the universe; Big bang; Where did the big bang occur; Universe is finite; Olbers paradox; Cosmological redshift
2 Newtonian universe; General relativity; 4 - D universe; Einstein and De Sitter universes; Robertson - Walker line element; Scale factor R(t); Form of R(t) and known cosmological models; Flat, closed, and open models; Critical density and its role on geometry of the universe; Cosmological dark matter; Age of the universe; Big bang and big crunch; CMBR and its properties
3 Standard big bang model; Conditions at t = 0; Plank time; Invalidity of our physical laws for t < Plank time; Universe emerging from the big bang; Big bang nucleosynthesis during first three minutes; CMBR; Quantum fluctuations imprinted on CMBR; Epoch of galaxy formation; Massive star formation in the early universe; Possibility of life elsewhere in the universe
4 Matter and radiation; Energy content of the CMBR; Matter domination; Radiation domination; Cross over point and how matter and radiation change with time; Pair production; Formation of elementary particles out of radiation in the early universe; Formation of the primordial soup
5 Radiation Era; Plank Time; Quantum Gravity; GUT phase; Hadron phase; Lepton phase; Nuclear era; Production of light elements in the early universe - bib bang nucleosynthesis
6 Particle creation in the Early Universe through pair creation; Different threshold for different particles; How forces became decoupled when the universe underwent cooling due to expansion; Mediation of forces through exchange of bosons
7 Horizon problem; Flatness problem; GUT phase; Phase transition when strong force became decoupled; Electroweak theory and W+, W-, & Z0 particles; Strong force mediation through gluons; Arguments for the False Vacuum; Inflationary phase of the False Vacuum; Solution of Flatness and Horizon problems through Inflation
8 Gravity; Best understood cosmic structures; Galaxies; Galaxy formation; Star formation; Homogeneity of the universe; Local group; Sheet-like arrangement of clusters; Hubble radius; Density inhomogeneities; Hubble flow Peculiar motions; Models of the universe
9 High-redshift objects; comoving coordinates and density; Proper volume; Steady state theory; Age of the universe; Hubble's observations; Ryle's observations; Constant - t slices of the universe; Very high-redshift quasars; AGNs
10 Host galaxies and their AGNs; QSOs as probes of intergalactic medium; Pre-galactic history; Unresolved problems with galaxies and their dark matter; Categories of Galaxies; Picture of Galaxy Formation; Elliptical Galaxies; Disk Galaxies
11 Galactic Dimensions; Luminosity Function of Stars; Freefall Time; Cooling Time; Virial Temperature; M-r Plane; Dark Matter; Rotation Curves; Groups and Clusters of Galaxies; Virialized Systems
12 Timing argument; Virialized systems; Gravitational lensing; Lensing as a probe of dark matter; Concentration of dark matter inside clusters of galaxies; Density parameter; Form of dark matter
13 Gravitational Lensing (GL); Macro and Microlensing; GL as a probe of dark matter; Dark matter inside clusters of galaxies; Critical density of the universe; Different models of the universe
14 Form of dark matter; Low mass and very massive stellar remnants; Probability for gravitational lensing; Microlensing of stars in LMC and their light curves
15 Microlensing at cosmological distances; Time scale for microlensing events; Non-baryonic dark matter; Neutrinos; Weakly interacting massive particles; Discriminating among dark matter options
16 Quasars and their host galaxies; Cosmological importance of quasars; Number density of quasars; Formation of quasars; Formation of galaxies; Timing of epoch of galaxy formation
17 Light from quasars; Living and dead quasars; Evolution of quasars; Quasar masses and efficiencies; Masses and opacities of quasars; Salpeter time scale; Models of quasars
18 Dead quasars; Radius of influence; Tidal radius; Core of M31; Flares from tidally disrupted stars; Luminosity of stellar debris falling to the massive black hole; Our galactic center
19 Flares from tidally disrupted stars; Stars near the tidal radius of a BH; Luminosity of stellar debris falling to a BH; Binary BHs; Collisions of BHs; Massive BHs in intergalactic space
20 High redshift universe; Lyman alpha line; Quasars at z > 2; HI clouds; Inter Galactic Medium (IGM); Lyman-alpha Forest; Quasar spectra; 1.8 < z, < 4.5 Lyman-alpha Forest; Lensing of quasars and size of HI clouds; Lyman-alpha forest toward low "z"
21 The epoch z > 5; Dark Age of the universe; First generation of stars; C - absorption features of quasars; GRBs; When did reheating occurred; Latest WMAP observations
22 Cosmic magnetic fields; Protogalactic batteries; Cosmic strings; Detection of them; Pulsars as gravity wave detectors
23 Critical look at gravity in the expanding universe; Where gravity overlaps quantum effects; Structures controlled by gravity in the expanding universe
24 Early universe; GUT to Hadron phase and epoch of inflation; Baryon to photon ratio; Matter creation via pair-production; Matter - antimatter asymmetry in the universe; Proper distance; Look-back time; Horizon problem; Flatness problem
25 Inflationary universe; Causal contact; Harrison - Zel'dovich Spectrum; Dark energy; Self - producing eternal universe