Student Seminar Quantum Universe
Diederik Roest, Olaf Scholten, Rien van de Weijgaert
4th block, semester 2, 2013/2014
Tuesday 15:00-16:45 & Thursday 11:00-12:45
This course is given in the style of a seminar with presentations given by the
participants.
An introduction to several advanced topics of large interest in present-day cosmology
and astroparticle physics is given. Of particular interest will be the connection
between the physics at the smallest scales and that of the very largest scales in the
Cosmos. The input of the Theory, KVI, and Kapteyn institutes will guarantee the
unique multi-disciplinary character for the seminar lectures.
Participants will be supervised by the instructors in individually arranged coaching
sessions in preparing their specific contribution for the presentation.
Texts & structure:
Week 17-19:
“An introduction to modern cosmology”
Week 20-24:
Recent QU4 conference
A. Liddle
Various authors
Physics interest:
Best of two worlds,
be on the interface between
Standard model of Particle Physics
and
Standard model of Cosmology
The Standard Model of particle physics
The Higgs boson,
just found !
3
The Standard Model of cosmology
CERN’s outreach posters
4
20-Apr-14
5
http://universe-review.ca/F02-cosmicbg.htm
•. 2 = 8G /3 - Kc2/R2
H2 = (R/R)
tot
•.
•.
Big Bang, all the matter in
the Universe was condensed
into a single point.
The Big Bang theory is based on Einstein’s
theory of General Relativity. The “father”
was the Belgian Jesuit priest Lemaître.
6
<10-43 Seconds
>1032 K ~1019 GeV
Energy scale
All forces were indistinguishable. Particles of matter
and antimatter existed in equal portions.
This is also the period of so-called Cosmic Inflation.
March 2014: Gravitational waves detected from
inflation period ???
Theory of inflation is due to Alan Guth (1981) and others.
7
10-34 Seconds
1027 K ~1015 GeV
A tiny excess of matter over antimatter, just
one matter particle for every thousand million
particles develops.
The Standard Model of particle physics
does not have enough breaking of a
mirror symmetry called CP-invariance.
8
10-10 Seconds
1015 K ~102 GeV
Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD); at very
high energy quarks do not interact
“asymptotic freedom of quarks”
The strong force became distinct from the
electromagnetic and weak forces. Matter
was a Quark Gluon Plasma.
9
<10-5 Seconds
>1011 K~100MeV
Quarks – antiquark annihilation, no
more creation by the radiation.
The energy is low-enough to have protons and neutrons be formed.
10
3 minutes
109 K ~0.05MeV
Primordial (Big Bang) Nucleosynthesis
strong support for the Big Bang model
Protons and neutrons start to combine to produce
light atomic nuclei, mainly Deuterium and Helium.
At around three minutes, the reactions stopped.
11
300 thousand years
6000 Degrees
Universe became transparent.
Electrons captured to form
neutral Hydrogen, Helium atoms.
The photons cooled resulting in today’s 2.7 Kelvin Cosmic
Microwave Background, (1965, Penzias & Wilson).
Fluctuations in CMB detected by COBE, detailed by WMAP.
Post-Recombination Universe, gravitationally
induced migration of matter towards high
12
density regions: Cosmic Structure Formation.
The dark ages end when clustering
of matter leads to the reionization ,
first generation of stars.
109 years
18 Degrees
Galaxy formation, stars form, cooking heavy elements as
iron. Some explode in supernovae, generating even heavier
elements. Molecules formed and chemical processes began.
13
Primordial perturbations evolve gravitationally into a
multiscale pattern of walls, filaments and clumps,
surrounding huge underdense voids: The Cosmic Web
Hierarchical Clustering:
P(k) ~ k-1.5
Most detailed reconstruction
Local Cosmic Web (2MRS):
Kitaura 2012
15
The Standard Model :
The energy budget of the Universe
16
August 2006: “NASA finds direct proof of dark matter”
February 2014: 7keV right-handed neutrino ????
“Bullet cluster”:
Red: luminous matter (Chandra X-ray Observatory)
Blue: dark matter (gravitational lensing)
Orange and white: galaxies (Magellan, Hubble)
17
The evolution of the Universe
Time
1019GeV 1015GeV 100GeV 100 MeV 1 MeV
End of
Era of
10-43 s
10-34 s
10-10 s
Inflation
ElectroWeak
Quarkgluon
10-5 s
1s
0.05
MeV
4000 K
300 s
3x105 yr 3x109 yr
10 K
Nucleo Recombin Galaxy/star
Anti-matter Neutrinos
Electrons synthesis a-tion era formation
3K
15x109 yr
Present
T(K) ~ 1010 / t(s)
T (K)
1010
BBN (nuclei)
103
1 mn
Recombination (atom)
3.105
y
Time t
18
First 3 weeks:
Course material
Last 4 weeks: presentations based on
recent Quantum Universe Conference
Wednesday
&
Thursday
Free
19
The High energy Universe
Where? What?
End point?
How to detect?
10-28
← 32 orders of magnitude 
There must be
sources!
Cosmic-ray spectrum
104
F(E) [ m2 sr s GeV ] -1
Spectrum is power law
Flux ~ E-3
Non thermal spectrum!
← 1 [m-2 s-1]
E-2.7
1
[km-2
y-1]

UHECR
← 12 orders of magnitude 
109
E [eV ]
1021
20
Student Seminar, Grading Criteria
Preparation:
Making use of proposed literature
Incorporating additional literature
Understanding of the subject matter
Depth of the presentation
Structure of the presentation
Presentation:
Formulation of stimulating questions
Answering questions from audience
Presentation technique
Quality of slides
Time management
Weighting;
2/3: Preparation & Presentation
1/3: Participation
~ 2 presentations per person
Short evaluating discussion after presentation
No final exam, personal evaluation discussion at end of
course
Participation:
Presence during seminar hours
Active participation during seminar hours
Contributing questions before the seminar sessions (hand-in)
Posing questions during the presentations
Death by powerpoint: youtube
& 7-things not to do
Seminar Preparation Timeline
Speaker:
week
N-3
Prepare for yourself the outline of the material to be
discussed & determine focus
N-2
present overview presentation to tutor
give the group a tutorial reference (~5 pages) which they can use to
prepare questions
N-1
1st trial presentation to tutor
(N -2 d
2nd trial presentation)
N
Presentation
Audience:
N –few days: Read material & prepare at least 1 written question
Chapters / Topics
25 min presentation + 5 min. question time (3 presentations /day)
2 Observational Overview
3-13
Homogeneity and isotropy ; Thermal distributions and the black-body spectrum
3 Newtonian Gravity
17-24
The Friedmann equation; The fluid equation; The acceleration equation
4 The Geometry of the Universe
25-30
Various geometries; Infinite and observable Universes
5 Simple Cosmological Models
33-40
Hubble'slaw; Particle number densities; Evolution including curvature
6 Observational Parameters
45-48
The expansion rate; The density parameter; Deceleration parameter
7 The Cosmological Constant
51-53
Cosmological models with A …
8 The Age of the Universe
57-62
9 The Density of the Universe and Dark Matter
63-72
Weighing the Universe; What might the dark matter be?; Dark matter searches
10 The Cosmic Microwave Background
75-81
The photon to baryon ratio
11 The Early Universe
85
12 Nucleosynthesis: The Origin of the Light Elements
91-96
Hydrogen and Helium; Contrasting decoupling and nucleosynthesis
13 The Inflationary Universe
99-107
Problems with the Hot Big Bang; Inflation and particle physics
Chapters / Topics
25 min presentation + 5 min. question time (3 presentations /day)
14 The initial singularity
111
15 The standard cosmological model
115
AT1 General Relativistic Cosmology
119
AT2 Classical cosmology: Distances and Luminosities
125
AT3 Neutrino Cosmology
137
AT4 Baryogenesis
143
AT5 Structures in the Universe
147
Schedule Student Seminar Quantum Universe 2013/14
date
Tu 22 April.
Th 24 April 1
Th 24 April 2
Th 24 April 3
Topic
2&4
3
5
6
Speaker(s)
Rien
Hylke
?
Pelle
Coach
Present
OS DR RW
Diederik? x v v
Tu 29 April 1
Tu 29 April 2
Tu 29 April 3
Th 1 May 1
Th 1 May 2
Th 1 May 3
7
8
9
10
11
12
Lasse
Herre
Martine
Johanna
Arsalan
Yang
Diederik? v
Olaf
Rien?
Diederik? v
Olaf
Rien?
v
v
v
v
Tu 6 May 1
Tu 6 May 2
Tu 6 May 3
Th 8 May 1
Th 8 May 2
Th 8 May 3
13
14
15
AT1
AT2
AT1-5
Remco
Stan
Ilham
Angel
Jorrit
Rosa
Diederik? x
Olaf
Rien?
Diederik? v
Olaf
Rien?
v
v
v
v
Rien?
Speaker: Each presentation includes presenting the state-of-the-art in the
particular field.
Audience: Read the chapters and hand in (at least) one question before
the start of the presentation.