Should I Take Graduate Level Cosmology?

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SUMMARY

A physics Ph.D. student, after completing a challenging first year with excellent grades in core classes, is contemplating whether to take a graduate-level Cosmology course next semester. The student has already studied General Relativity and various Cosmology textbooks and is focused on research in theoretical particle Cosmology, specifically regarding massive Gravitons and AGN black holes. The discussion emphasizes the importance of self-study and confidence in understanding Cosmology concepts, suggesting that if the student can independently address relevant questions, taking the course may not be necessary.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of General Relativity
  • Familiarity with Quantum Field Theory (QFT)
  • Knowledge of Cosmological principles and theories
  • Research skills in theoretical physics
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the implications of massive Gravitons as candidates for dark matter
  • Study AGN black hole mechanisms and their relevance to Cosmology
  • Explore noncommutative Quantum Field Theory applications
  • Investigate Modified Gravity theories and their impact on cosmic expansion
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for physics graduate students, particularly those specializing in theoretical particle Cosmology, as well as researchers interested in advanced topics like Quantum Field Theory and cosmological phenomena.

xdrgnh
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I'm a physics Ph.D student who just complete his first year of classes. I struggled a lot and found this year to be academically the hardest of my life. However in the end I did get excellent grades in all of my core classes. I would really like to take it easy next semester and only take 1 class Relativistic Field Theory and maybe do research in either determining if massive Gravitons can be a good candidate for either cold dark matter or warm dark matter, or perhaps something in AGN black holes. However Cosmology is being offered next semester and one part of me wants to take it because I want to go into theoretical particle Cosmology. The other part says that it will distract me from learning QFT and it would be a waste of time because I took General Relativity and have already read large sections from multiple textbooks on Cosmology. Eventually I want to do my dissertation work in applications of noncommunative QFT and Modified Gravity to cosmological problems such as the accelerated expansion of the universe. Do you think I can get away with not taking Cosmology?
 
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Its up to you. If you think you're confident enough about cosmology to be able to think about it on your own(at least the parts relevant to your topic) and you're able to find the answers to your questions in papers and books efficiently, then I don't think you need the class.
 

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