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* * *  Astronomy 127 - Cosmology and Galaxy Formation - Spring 2013  * * *
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Course website:  http://www.astro.caltech.edu/~george/ay127/

Instructors: Chris Hirata, chirata[AT]tapir.caltech.edu, x-2563, 272 Cahill
             George Djorgovski, george[AT]astro.caltech.edu, x-4415, 208 Cahill

         TA: Allison Strom, astrom[AT]astro.caltech.edu
             Office hours: Tue at 5 pm

Times and location:  Tue & Thu, 1 - 2:30 pm, in 219 Cahill

Textbook: M. Longair, "Galaxy formation", QB981 .L66 1998
          It will be supplemented by additional readings to be posted,
          especially for the observational results - a fast-changing field!
          There are many other good cosmology books, so feel free to explore.
          ALSO, for the observational lectures, videos, slides, etc., will be
          posted on the Coursera website; see the class webpage for details.

Grading:  40% homeworks, 20% midterm, 30% final, 10% class participation

          Late homework penalty:  -50% per day or fraction thereof.  We will
          give indulgences only for really good reasons (sickness, if you have
          a note from the doctor; death in the immediate family; being abducted
          by a UFO, with a convincing proof; etc.).  No late exams will be
          accepted, except maybe for -very- serious health related reasons.

Collaboration policy:  NO collaboration is allowed for the final and midterm
          exams.  For the homework, you can discuss the problems with other
          students, but only in general terms, and you have to derive your
          own solutions.  You CANNOT use any old homework solutions from
          anyone or anywhere or anywhen. The honor code applies.  

The anticipated schedule of lectures (subject to changes):

Tue Apr  2  CH  FRW models; Friedmann equation; redshift and scale factor
Thu Apr  4  GD  Distance scale, Hubble constant, ages
Tue Apr  9  CH  Radiation-dominated era, cosmic nucleosynthesis
Thu Apr 11  CH  CMB spectrum and recombination
Tue Apr 16  GD  Cosmological tests, the contents of the universe
Thu Apr 18  CH  Intro. to perturbations I
Tue Apr 23  GD  Large scale structure, peculiar velocities 
Thu Apr 25  CH  Intro. to perturbations II
Tue Apr 30  GD  Evolution of clustering, bias; galaxy clusters
Thu May  2  GD  Systematics of galaxy properties, scaling laws
Tue May  7  GD  Galaxy evolution, star formation history
Thu May  9  GD  Intergalactic medium and its evolution; grav. lensing
Tue May 14  GD  Active galactic nuclei: phenomenology, unification, evolution  
Thu May 16  GD  Galaxy formation, the first stars and quasars, reionization
Tue May 21  CH  CMB anisotropies I
Thu May 23  CH  CMB anisotropies II
Tue May 28  CH  CMB polarization, nonlinear structure formation
Tue May 30  CH  The nature of dark matter and dark energy (theoretical ideas)