PHYS514 GRAVITATION AND COSMOLOGY II
| Course Code: | 2300514 |
| METU Credit (Theoretical-Laboratory hours/week): | 3 (3.00 - 0.00) |
| ECTS Credit: | 8.0 |
| Department: | Physics |
| Language of Instruction: | English |
| Level of Study: | Graduate |
| Course Coordinator: | Prof.Dr. SEÇKİN KÜRKCÜOĞLU |
| Offered Semester: | Once in several years. |
Course Objectives
This course focuses on the application of General Relativity to cosmology and the study of the large-scale structure and evolution of the universe. Students will explore homogeneous and anisotropic cosmological models, the dynamics of cosmic expansion, and scenarios such as inflation, singularities, and mixmaster cosmology. The course also introduces quantum aspects of gravity, including quantum field theory in curved spacetime and the Wheeler–DeWitt equation.
Course Content
Homogeneity and isotropy of the universe. Maximally symmetric spaces. Bianchi types. Standard cosmological model. Observational cosmology: expansion of the universe. Dust filled and radiation filled universes. Inflationary models. Initial and final singularities (Big bang and big crunch). Chaotic mixmaster cosmology. Quantum cosmology. Wheeler-deWitt equation. Quantum field theory in curved spacetimes.
Course Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students will be able to classify and analyze homogeneous and anisotropic cosmological models using symmetry principles; solve and interpret the dynamics of dust- and radiation-filled universes, inflationary models, and singularity scenarios; relate theoretical predictions to key observational results in cosmology, such as the expansion of the universe; and describe the basics of quantum cosmology and quantum field theory in curved spacetime.
Program Outcomes Matrix
| Level of Contribution | |||||
| # | Program Outcomes | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 1 | They are competent in the fundamentals of Physics and in the subfield of their thesis work. | ✔ | |||
| 2 | They have necessary skills (literature search, experiment design, project design, etc.) for doing research with guidance of a more experienced researcher. | ✔ | |||
| 3 | They can communicate research results in a proper format (journal article, conference presentation, project report etc.) | ✔ | |||
| 4 | They can learn necessary skills and techniques (theoretical, experimental, computational etc.) on their own. | ✔ | |||
| 5 | They have necessary skills to work as team member in a research group. | ✔ | |||
0: No Contribution 1: Little Contribution 2: Partial Contribution 3: Full Contribution