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Cosmology

Cosmology (Winter 2009, Stanford Univ.). Instructor: Professor Leonard Susskind. This course of the Theoretical Minimum series will concentrate on cosmology, the science of the origin and development of the universe. Along the way, students will take a close look at the Big Bang, the geometry of space-time, inflationary cosmology, cosmic microwave background, dark matter, dark energy, the anthropic principle, and the string theory landscape. (from theoreticalminimum.com)

Lecture 1 - Geometry of the expanding universe
Cosmology from the perspective of geometry, The idea of expanding space, The concepts behind Hubble's law, The idea of space, The metric of space.
Lecture 2 - Newtonian and Friedmann-Robertson-Walker cosmology
Newtonian cosmology, The Friedman- Robertson-Walker (FRW) equations, flat space, Hubble's law and constant, dark energy.
Lecture 3 - Structure of the universe
The basic equations of cosmology, Structure of the universe, Expansion radiation, Dark matter.
Lecture 4 - Background microwave radiation
Background microwave radiation, Doppler shifting, Susskind's inflation model, General theory of relativity of expanding space-time, Cosmic horizon, Vacuum energy.
Lecture 5 - Cosmological curvature
Mathematics of spheres, General concept of curvature and cosmology of a spherical universe, The connection of the equations of cosmology and the general theory of relatively.
Lecture 6 - Surface of last scattering
Manifestation of the Universe, How the early universe was hot, X-ray photons, Surface of last scattering, Neutron decay, Neutron stars.
Lecture 7 - Cosmological inflation
Inflation, A cosmological constant and Einstein's equations, FRW Lemaitre equation, Energy density, Vacuum energy, Surface of last scattering, Microwave background radiation, Primordial fluctuations.
Lecture 8 - Big omega
How the geometry of space gets measured, Big omega, FRW equations, The primordial universe, The process of gravitation's inhomogeneity, The cosmological constant.

References
Cosmology (Winter, 2009) | The Theoretical Minimum
This course of the Theoretical Minimum series will concentrate on cosmology, the science of the origin and development of the universe.

The Theoretical Minimum Courses
Classical Mechanics (Fall 2007)
Classical Mechanics (Fall 2011)
Quantum Mechanics (Winter 2008)
Quantum Mechanics (Winter 2012)
Advanced Quantum Mechanics (Fall 2013)
Special Relativity (Spring 2008)
Special Relativity (Spring 2012)
Einstein's General Theory of Relativity (Fall 2008)
General Relativity (Fall 2012)
Cosmology (Winter 2009)
Cosmology (Winter 2013)
Statistical Mechanics (Spring 2009)
Statistical Mechanics (Spring 2013)
Particle Physics 1: Basic Concepts (Fall 2009)
Particle Physics 2: Standard Model (Spring 2010)
Particle Physics 3: Supersymmetry and Grand Unification (Spring 2010)
String Theory and M-Theory (Fall 2010)
Topics in String Theory (Cosmology and Black Holes) (Winter 2011)
Quantum Entanglements, Part 1 (Fall 2006)
Relativity (Spring 2007)