Starting in Cosmology: Understanding the Role of Physics and GR

  • Context: Undergrad 
  • Thread starter Thread starter quantumfireball
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the prerequisites for studying cosmology, particularly the level of understanding of physics and general relativity (GR) required. Participants explore various aspects of cosmology, including recommended textbooks and the necessary background knowledge for different levels of study.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions the necessity of being an expert in GR to start studying cosmology.
  • Another participant suggests that a basic GR course, including familiarity with the FLRW metric, may suffice for many cosmological topics.
  • There is a request for textbook recommendations, indicating a need for resources suitable for different levels of understanding.
  • One participant mentions their limited knowledge in quantum field theory, basic GR, and particle physics as context for their inquiry.
  • Several textbooks are proposed, including "Introduction to Cosmology" by Barbara Ryden, which is noted for being accessible to those with second or third-year undergraduate physics and math knowledge.
  • "Cosmology and Particle Astrophysics" by Bergström & Goobar is recommended for its readability and inclusion of basic GR and QFT concepts.
  • John Peacock's "Cosmological Physics" is mentioned as a classic text that may be advanced for some readers, while Eric Linder's "First Principles of Cosmology" is noted for its engaging presentation despite being shorter than typical texts.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that a deep expertise in GR is not strictly necessary to begin studying cosmology, but there is no consensus on the exact level of physics knowledge required, as it may depend on individual goals and the specific areas of cosmology being pursued.

Contextual Notes

The discussion reflects varying levels of background knowledge among participants, which may influence their recommendations and perspectives on the prerequisites for studying cosmology.

quantumfireball
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:confused: How much physics do i need to know to embark on cosmology
Do i need to be a complete expert in GR?
 
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quantumfireball said:
:confused: How much physics do i need to know to embark on cosmology
Do i need to be a complete expert in GR?

It of course depends on what level of understanding you are aiming for, and what part of cosmology you'd like to study, but in general you don't need to be an expert in GR. A basic GR course (including a study of the FLRW metric) could be sufficient for many topics in cosmology.
 
thats quite a surprise
can you recommend me some textbooks on cosmology(leave aside weinbergs pop book)
 
quantumfireball said:
thats quite a surprise
can you recommend me some textbooks on cosmology(leave aside weinbergs pop book)

I think I need to know which level you are at right now, and which level you are aiming for?
 
i know very little quantum field theory,some basic idea about GR,
miniscule amount of particle physics,...
 
Maybe Introduction to Cosmology by Barbara Ryden might be a good choice.

Assuming second or third year undergraduate physics and math as input, this well written book gives an elementary, but detailed and quantitative, treatment of the expansion of the universe, dark matter, dark energy, inflation, big bang nucleosynthesis, and structure formation (galaxies and superclusters of galaxies). Knowledge of general relativity is not a prerequisite. The FLRW metric is used and studied, but is not derived.
 
"Cosmology and Particle Astrophysics" (second edition) by Bergström & Goobar may be something. It is intended as an advanced undergraduate/graduate textbook, but is actually quite readable even for those with less knowledge, since it repeats the basic GR and QFT needed for the understanding of the rest of the book. The main focus is on dark matter and dark energy.
 
A comprehensive classic cosmology text is 'Cosmological Physics' by John Peacock. Depending on your maths and physics background, this may be a little advanced though. It's probably an upper undergrad/grad student level.

Another option (though possibly a little tricky to get hold of?) is 'First Principles of Cosmology' by Eric Linder. It's quite a short text by normal standard but presents things in an interesting way and provokes lots of good thinking from the reader.
 

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