AST4320 – Cosmology and Extragalactic Astronomy
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Choose semester
Changes in the course due to coronavirus
Spring 2021 the exams of most courses at the MN Faculty will be conducted as digital home exams or oral exams, using the normal grading scale.
As a general rule, exams at the MN Faculty will during the autumn of 2021 be conducted without physical attendance. For reasons relating to the course content, some courses will have on-campus written examination if the current infection rate makes this possible.
The semester page for your course will be updated with any changes in the form of examination. See also more information about examination at the MN Faculty in 2021.
Course content
This course provides an overview of extragalactic astronomy with emphasis on the development of large-scale structures and galaxy formation. The first part of the course deals with the development of large structures from small perturbations and links the statistical properties of the cosmic density perturbations to the observed statistical properties of galaxies. The second part of this course focuses on the formation and evolution of galaxies as well as the link between the evolution of galaxies and supermassive black holes. This section addresses many topics that are currently being actively researched, such as the small-scale problems of the model of cold dark matter, star formation throughout the history of the universe, the formation of supermassive black holes, supernovae, and active galaxy nuclei.
Learning outcome
After completing this course:
- you will be able to apply Newtonian perturbation theory and understand linear structure formation as well as the statistical methods used to describe it.
- you will understand the spherical collapse model in structure formation, both qualitatively and quantitatively.
- you will understand the distribution and clustering of galaxies and how they depend on the cosmic density field.
- you will have a good understanding of the role of the baryons in galaxy formation.
- you will have knowledge of the research front in galaxy formation and extragalactic astronomy needed to carry out research projects in these areas.
Admission to the course
Students admitted at UiO must apply for courses in Studentweb. Students enrolled in other Master's Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.
Nordic citizens and applicants residing in the Nordic countries may apply to take this course as a single course student.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures for international applicants.
Recommended previous knowledge
Bachelor’s Degree from the programme Fysikk og astronomi (bachelor) or comparable.
Teaching
Teaching extends over one semester. There are 4 hours of lectures per week and 2 hours of group sessions/ tutorial exercises each week.
Students are expected to submit 3 compulsory assignments. The assignments will not count in the grade assessment, but they must be approved before students can be signed up for the final written examination.
Examination
- A midterm assessment (school or home exam), which counts 30 % towards the final grade.
- Towards the end of the semester, students are expected to give a 20-25 minute presentation on a chosen topic (a list of topics will be assigned). The presentation counts 20 % towards the final grade.
- A final written exam, 4 hours, which counts 50 % towards the final grade.
The final grade is determined after an overall assessment of all the parts. In addition, students are expected to submit 3 compulsory assignments, which must be approved before they can sit the final written examination.
Examination support material
Rottman: Mathematical formula collection.
Language of examination
The examination text is given in English, and you submit your response in English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system .
Resit an examination
Students who can document a valid reason for absence from the regular examination are offered a postponed examination at the beginning of the next semester.
Re-scheduled examinations are not offered to students who withdraw during, or did not pass the original examination.